Clash abandonded as Paris & Lyon fans storm pitch after flares fly in stands

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The Coupe de France clash between Paris FC and Olympique Lyonnais was called to a premature end this evening, owing to alarming scenes both in the stands, and on the pitch.

Shameful scenes

The subject of crowd trouble has of course taken its place front and centre in French football this season.

This comes with a series of concerning incidents having resulted in top-flight fixtures being either temporarily halted, or completely abandoned.

First, back in August, after Dimitri Payet opted to throw a bottle which had been directed at him during a meeting between Marseille and Nice back into the crowd, supporters of the latter flooded the pitch, sparking absolute chaos:

Crazy scenes in Ligue 1 😱

Dimitri Payet was hit by a missile thrown from the crowd, and when he threw it back it all kicked off…

The match was suspended as chaos descended on the pitch, with the managers even getting involved! pic.twitter.com/Skk7VoLoIa

— 🇮🇹 Watch Serie A on BT Sport Football 🇮🇹 (@btsportfootball) August 22, 2021

Then, just a month later, a 90-minute delay was forthcoming during a showdown between Lens and Lille, after the former’s fans too made their way onto the field of play, in an act of intimidation towards their Lille counterparts.

And the aforementioned Payet was in the thick of things once more late in November, with a water bottle from the Lyon crowd having this time connected flush on the side of the Marseille attacker’s face, resulting in the fixture being abandoned:

Lyon vs. Marseille is brought to a halt after Dimitri Payet was struck on the side of the head by a water bottle thrown from the stands 😳 pic.twitter.com/RHQtbE0VJK

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 21, 2021

Lyon fans at heart of trouble once more

In turn, alarm bells will no doubt be ringing amongst the powers that be overseeing French club football, after yet ANOTHER fixture was halted, and ultimately called off mid-match, on Friday.

Earlier this evening, Paris FC (not to be mistaken for Paris Saint-Germain) welcomed heavyweights Olympique Lyonnais to the Stade Charlety, for a highly-anticipated Coupe de France Round-of-64 showdown.

From kick-off, though, a tense atmosphere was evident inside the ground.

This eventually led to the home crowd being attacked by their Lyon counterparts, as flares flew amid ugly scenes in the capital:

This weekend’s Coupe de France action has begun with Lyon fans attacking Paris FC fans. French football & violence are unfortunately the best of bedfellows this season. pic.twitter.com/lme5o0pINB

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) December 17, 2021

With the scoreline locked at 1-1, play was then halted, as both sets of players were ushered back to the dressing rooms by officials owing to the trouble in the stands making its way onto the pitch:

📹 | Fans fight each other and storm field at Paris FC vs. Olympique Lyon match in #France, pausing the match. pic.twitter.com/aKWwnVbyZy

— EHA News (@eha_news) December 17, 2021

And efforts to get things back underway ultimately proved unsuccessful, too, leaving those in charge of proceedings with little option but to call a definitive end to the clash, the outcome of which will presumably be decided at a later date:

Fans invaded the pitch when the teams tried to resume the Coupe de France match between Paris FC and Lyon.pic.twitter.com/2XDUcrwgfw

— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) December 17, 2021

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