French club SC Bastia have “categorically refused” an order by the French Professional League (LFP) to advance the kickoff time of their Ligue 1 game against Nantes on Saturday amid security fears in Corsica.
“Having at no time been consulted on the reasons which motivated this unilateral decision and finding such practices unacceptable, the club has just informed the LFP of its categorical refusal to conform with this diktat,” Bastia said in a statement.
“The doors of the stadium will therefore remain closed at the time imposed by authorities,” it added.
According to the LFP, if Bastia carry through their threat, they risk forfeiting the match 3-0. Bastia are 12th in the league, with Nantes in sixth.
The decision to bring the game forward from 8pm to 2pm was requested by police on the French Mediterranean island after violence sparked by Corsican fans during a league game at Stade de Reims on Saturday last week.
Fans threw fireworks at police before and after the match in the Champagne region, with the violence spilling into the town when a 22-year-old Corsican suffered a serious eye injury while being pursued by police.
Seven Bastia supporters on Monday received summons for trial on March 22 following the incidents in Reims.
Violence also broke out in Corsica on Sunday night when a rally to support the injured fan outside Bastia’s police station turned violent, with missiles and Molotov cocktails thrown. A riot police officer sustained a head wound.
On Monday night in Corte, about 500 people again gathered in front of the police station, throwing various missiles.
Fresh clashes erupted on Tuesday, when about 50 masked individuals interrupted peaceful demonstrations by throwing Molotov cocktails at police, who in turn responded with tear gas to quell the trouble.
As French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve strongly condemned “these unacceptable acts,” the case took a political turn when Corsican Executive Council President Gilles Simeoni questioned the “official version” of the injury suffered by the Bastia supporter.
According to the Reims public prosecutor, the fan was seriously injured while fleeing police after damaging one of their cars, hurting himself in a fall.
The victim claims he was wounded by a rubber bullet, and “that’s what a certain number of witnesses are saying,” Simeoni said.
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