In France, football players were suspended for throwing lit flares into the stands

Anarchy broke out in the final minutes of Valenciennes vs Troyes in France at the weekend when the game had to be stopped in the 89th minute because the pitch was littered with burning flares.

What happened next was unlike anything we had seen before. Frustrated Troyes players began picking up the lit flares, throwing them back into the crowd and potentially setting off a deadly scenario in the stands.

This was all due to frustration bubbling over. Troyes were a top-flight team that competed in France’s top-flight Ligue 1 in 2022/23 but finished last in relegation. The expectation was that the team would fight for promotion once again, but a disastrous Ligue 2 2023/24 season has now seen Troyes relegated in two consecutive years and now promoted to the Championnat National.

The 1-1 draw in the 89th minute against the worst team in the league was too much for the fans. As wrong as it is to throw burning flares onto the field, the idea of ​​allowing them to be thrown back could have started a devastating fire – and that’s where officials intervened.

Nine fans had their season tickets revoked and were banned from attending games. Meanwhile, four players were suspended for throwing the projectiles back at fans. However, it is unclear for how long.