The conjunction of two regrettable events, one security and another meteorological, got the better of the match on the 10th day of Ligue 2 between Ajaccio and Bastia. Faced with this unprecedented situation, the regulations were respected to the letter before the decision to postpone. However, was it necessary to wait more than an hour and a half to deliver a decision that seemed inevitable?
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It was on the pitch that the “fight” was supposed to take place between Ajaccio and Bastia at the Michel-Moretti stadium on Saturday evening. As a certain tradition dictates, this Corsican derby, reduced to less than 42 minutes, will have been involved and even rough – 26 faults and a yellow card after 38 seconds for the Ajaccian Everson Jr – but remained in the domain of acceptable. It was in the stands that the limits were crossed.
A travel ban that is not watertight
The movement of Bastia supporters was prohibited by prefectural decree on Saturday. Not only at the stadium but also in the city center of Ajaccio or “ any person claiming to be a supporter of the Sporting Club de Bastia or behaving as such” was proscribed. In fact, the visitor parking lot was quite empty, simply adorned with a roomy and somewhat enigmatic banner, “Pasta 1905” in reference to the group of SCB supporters, Bastia 1905.
Yes, but here it is, as during the Ligue 1 match between Montpellier and OM, supporters of the visiting team exploited the loophole in the measure: they came to the stadium, without taking advantage… at first. When they were finally spotted by Ajaccian ultras, a fight broke out: crowd movement, smoke bomb thrown, spectators on the field or very close to it: a few ACA players rushed towards the stand to try to calm down the game but the laudable initiative will not be enough. The referee of the match, Olivier Thual, sends everyone back to the locker room while the meeting of the “crisis unit” between delegates from the clubs, the Professional Football League (LFP) and the prefecture is being prepared.
While the Minister of the Interior indicated on Thursday the possibility of generalizing travel bans, these have just shown their limits twice in less than a week. On the public side, we are not immune from any contradiction either: while banners were once again contesting the travel restrictions on Saturday, the events once again demonstrated an incapacity for the supporters of two opposing teams of coexist without being separated by a security barrier and two CRS cords.
The weather gets involved
Shortly after 8:45 p.m., the decision-makers locked themselves in to decide the fate of the meeting, while the police worked to restore it. Long minutes pass without the slightest decision being announced, which leaves time for a new actor to invite himself into the evening: the rain. It was even a torrential storm that fell on the Michel-Moretti stadium. In principle, a match interruption should not exceed 45 minutes. At 9:35 p.m., Mr. Thual logically returned to the lawn and noticed that it was wet and had become impassable. The electrical installations suffer at the height of the bad weather but operation will be quickly restored.
This is when the counter is reset to zero, since the cause of the interruption has changed. The referee explains to Corse Matin: “ The impassability of the terrain was noted following the weather conditions. The rules gave us 45 minutes to hope to resume. » In the process, a new deadline is therefore announced by the delegates of the meeting at 10:20 p.m. For more than half an hour, spectators and viewers will have to wait to see if the pitch becomes passable again… while the rain continues to fall!
An endless wait
While the followers of the meeting wait for news of a more than improbable drying up, the decision-makers return to lock themselves in the passageways of the stadium for a meeting of which absolutely nothing filters through, as if it were taking place in the 4th basement of the DGSI (General Directorate of Internal Security). We must therefore wait until 10:20 p.m. to await a decision which, however, leaves no doubt. If the match had to resume at this time, it would have been necessary to play the last moments of the first period, taking a new break (half-time) before the second period, for an end of the match around 11:30 p.m., including additional time.
Meanwhile, beIN Sports journalists and consultants, between a few trailers and replays, do their best to fill in with quizzes or commenting on the Real Madrid – FC Barcelona match (0-4) broadcast on another channel. At the fateful hour, the postponement of the meeting is no longer in doubt but it still needs to be officially announced.
Minimum communication from the LFP
It was then that the shortest press conference of the season was organized. In two sentences, Olivier Thual explains his decision then the LFP delegate cuts it short: “ I will thank you for not asking any questions. » in a very particular conception of dialogue. The match will be assigned a new date by the competitions committee, probably not before the end of November, between international break and two rounds of the Coupe de France (7th and 8th) for Ligue 2 clubs.
It is therefore only at 10:30 p.m. that the stadium announcer is authorized to inform the last spectators still present that they can leave, despite a broken microphone. So much water, so much water… and so much time wasted.
Photo ©Anthony Bibard/FEP/Icon Sport
