Ligue 2: what we know about the aggression of a Rodez player in Bordeaux and its consequences

While Bordeaux was playing its rise in Ligue 1 against Rodez, the aggression of an opposing player by a Gironde fan calls everything into question. Let's take a look back at the facts and their likely consequences.

What happened in Bordeaux-Rodez

We thought we were going for an evening full of twists and turns. We didn't mean it so well. While the tension was at its peak in the heights as in the depths of Ligue 2, a supporter came to put a hell of a mess in this day of verdict (s). It all started at Matmut Atlantique, when this Bordeaux fan accessed the pitch area where Lucas Buades, midfielder of Rodez, came to celebrate the opening of the score.

Pushed by the intruder, the player collapsed to the ground, causing in the 22nd minute the momentary - then total - stop of the match. "The player cannot resume because he is concussed. In collaboration with the team of delegates and the LFP, we respected the rules, namely that the match will not resume, "announced after a wait of 45 minutes the referee of the match, Nicolas Rainville. Since Bordeaux played its rise and Rodez its maintenance, the stop of the match is not without consequence on the final ranking of the Championship.

What do we know about the aggressor?

As of Friday evening, four men had been taken into custody, including the alleged attacker. The police accuse this supporter, aged 45 according to Sud Ouest, of having returned to the field and having "violently pushed" the Rodez player. According to the regional newspaper, this Bordeaux fan, a prominent member of the group "Ultramarines", is an inhabitant... Annecy, another club "victim" of the events of the evening - we will come back to this below. Three other supporters are in custody: two men, aged 29 and 30 according to Sud Ouest, for having also entered the field, and a last, aged 47, who allegedly outraged and headbutted a steward.

What the regulation provides and what the Girondins risk

The Girondins de Bordeaux obviously risk big because of the action of a single individual, against whom they have announced that they have filed a complaint. The match being stopped, the result is not yet ratified, as is the sanction to come against the Gironde club. The disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) will study the case on Monday, but the verdict should not be known immediately.

In view of the latest antecedents more or less similar in the French enclosures, Bordeaux could be hit with partial or total closed doors, a hefty fine or even a withdrawal of points for the current or future season. Despite the indicative scale existing within the LFP concerning incidents related to supporters, difficult as it stands to have a real perspective of what could await the Girondins. For an "intrusion by one or more spectators of a hostile nature", a total or partial closed session is recommended. But the supporter having harmed the physical integrity of the Ruthenian player, no scale exists for this specific case. And the bill could be tough.

In June 2022, two AJ Auxerre players were injured at the end of the play-off between Saint-Étienne and AJA, following the hostile invasion of the Geoffroy-Guichard lawn. ASSE had received four matches behind closed doors and 6 penalty points, including 3 suspended on the ranking of the following season.

What the presidents of Ligue 2 think... and the Minister of Sport

Present at Matmut Atlantique, President Gérard Lopez appeared at a press conference at the end of this chaotic evening. "It is also clear that I would like it to be played sportingly on a field, it remains football. We will be present Monday in committee and we will assert all our rights, as well as on appeal if ever we had to go, "explained the Gironde boss. His Ruthenian counterpart, Pierre-Olivier Murat, considered it likely that the match would be replayed later. "I've never seen games played after the last day. Our club of ploucs did not put the pressure. I will line up behind the opinion of the LFP, "he said on RMC.

The incident had resonance as far as the Ministry of Sports, Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra hailing on her social networks "the firm decision of the LFP to definitively stop the meeting". "Violence has no place in stadiums and our line is clear: zero tolerance," she insisted. My thoughts are with Lucas Buades, the victim of this intolerable attack. I hope he recovers soon. And I will be very attentive to the sanctions that will be taken by the authorities and by the courts. »

I welcome the firm decision of the LFP to definitively stop the Bordeaux-Rodez match, taken in application of the crisis management protocol validated jointly by the State and French football.
Violence has no place in stadiums and our line is clear: https://t.co/qYqEDAfMIw

— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) June 2, 2023

What it means for the end of the Championship

The fate of this Bordeaux-Rodez does not only interest both teams, since the final result of the match will depend on the final ranking of Ligue 2 2022-23. And with it promotion-relegations. Still mathematically in contention for the climb, the Girondins have probably said goodbye to an express return to Ligue 1 with the sanction looming. They are in third place (only the first two allow to climb in L1 this season) and were already forced to a large victory against Rodez after the results of Le Havre against Dijon (1-0), and Metz against Bastia (3-2).

At the bottom of the ranking, the Ruthénois are 17th and virtually relegated to National after the evening's results. But the decision of the disciplinary commission of the LFP could revive everything for the RAF, if a victory on the green carpet was recorded. It would therefore be Annecy, beaten by Paris FC (1-0), which would be the last team relegated to the third division with Dijon, Nîmes and Niort. Unless?.. The president of Annecy, Sébastien Faraglia, asked that the match be replayed so that "sporting fairness is respected". "We can't give them (the three points) to Rodez after 22 minutes of play and fold the championship like that. That's not possible. The fate of Annecy cannot depend on a green carpet between Bordeaux and Rodez. » See you on Monday for the rest of this last incredible day.