The victory was beautiful, almost unexpected. The first meeting of Jocelyn Gourvennec on the bench of FC Nantes today seems very anecdotal. Before the football match which saw the Canaries win against Nice (1-0), a Nantes supporter was attacked with a knife.
Aged 31 and a member of the Loire Brigade, the victim died during the night as a result of his injuries, we learned from the Nantes public prosecutor. A man suspected of having carried out the fatal blows presented himself to the police and is currently being questioned in police custody.
What happened Saturday evening?
The events allegedly took place around 8 p.m., approximately an hour before kick-off. Several transport cars with driver (VTC) in which there were OGC Nice supporters were attacked by Nantes supporters who were going to La Beaujoire. According to West Francethe vehicles were apparently shaken as they passed in front of the Saint-Georges, a bar which serves as a meeting place for the ultras of the Loire Brigade.
The context remains unclear but it seems that one of the VTC drivers got out of his vehicle armed with a knife. He would then have dealt a blow to the 31-year-old supporter. A single blow that will prove fatal. The victim was allegedly stabbed in the back according to initial forensic investigations which will be refined during an autopsy, the public prosecutor said. Transported in a state of absolute emergency, the man could not be saved and died during the night.
Who is the victim ?
The man killed on Saturday evening is a loyal supporter of FC Nantes and a member of the Loire Brigade ultra group. Aged 31, M. immediately received the support of the Nantes kop. The leaders left the stadium and all the entertainment equipment was dismantled. Asked about this drama, the new Nantes coach Jocelyn Gourvennec explained that he was only informed of the facts at the end of the match. “I can’t imagine how you can come to see a football match, sometimes with your family, and be between life and death after a football match. It’s inconceivable. I don’t know what happened, we don’t have all the details. The players talked about it a lot in the locker room, they were very touched.” Nantes captain Pedro Chirivella also paid tribute to the deceased supporter. “A big thought for the BL and their loved ones. We are together. »
Where is the investigation?
According to West France, the man suspected of being the author of the stabbing initially fled. He finally presented himself around 4:30 a.m. this Sunday morning at the police station. The man is currently in police custody according to public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul. An investigation into “intentional homicide” was opened and entrusted to the judicial police.
What were the reactions after the tragedy?
The murder of the supporter was the subject of many outraged reactions. The mayor of Nantes Johanna Rolland sent her condolences to the victim’s family and asked that “all light be shed on the circumstances of such a tragedy. No one should die while going to see a football match, that is unthinkable, unimaginable.” FC Nantes expressed its “pain” and presented its condolences to the loved ones of the deceased supporter, while the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra sent her “thoughts” to the loved ones, in a message published on X, adding that the investigation must “specify the exact circumstances of the facts”.