OGC Nice fans invaded the pitch with fury on Sunday night after a goalless draw with Metz meant the Ineos-owned club faces a relegation play-off as they fight to keep their place in Ligue 1.
The French side needed a victory at the Allianz Riviera to ensure they kept their place in the top flight for another season, after a dismal campaign that has been littered with ugly scenes.
However, they couldn’t break down a Metz team that had already cemented their place as the basement boys of the season, 15 points adrift of Claude Puel’s side, ahead of the fixture.
It means that Nice will enter a two-legged play-off against St-Etienne, who finished third in the French second tier, in a bid to save themselves from the drop.
Upon the full-time whistle, the Nice ultras stormed the pitch in a rage, donning balaclavas and holding flares, with the players having to scurry down the tunnel to avoid the confrontation.
The ultras had already moved from their usual spot in the upper tier of the stadium mid-match, and it became increasingly clear as time passed that they were preparing an invasion if the result went south, which it did.
OGC Nice fans stormed the pitch after a goalless draw against Metz means the team faces a relegation play-off
The fan fury was directed at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos who have overseen a downward spiral at the club in the last year
They were yet again directing their anger toward Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, who are looking to sell the club as they pour all their efforts into Manchester United.
The club have been on a dramatic downward spiral this season, starting it in the Champions League after a fourth-placed finish last term, and ending it on the brink of their first relegation to Ligue 2 in nearly 20 years.
The message before the game was a positive one; however, with fans displaying a banner that read ‘Everyone to Paris’ as Nice prepare to face Lens in the Coupe de France final at the Stade de France on Friday.
But soon, the mood changed. During the match, the fans were chanting the French equivalent of ‘Get your a***s into gear’ as they sensed that the result they needed was not going to be achieved.
Then came the chaos at full-time, reminiscent of scenes back in November, when Nice supporters attacked their own players at the training ground after the side’s sixth successive defeat.
When the team bus arrived back at the club’s training ground after a 3-1 defeat by Lorient, around 400 angry supporters were there waiting for the players and staff.
Boga and Moffi were reportedly punched, kicked, and spat on, with some of the blows said to be to their genitals. It is also said that they had racist slurs thrown their way – Moffi played 90 minutes in the game, while Boga came off the bench.
Ratcliffe, who purchased the club back in 2019, is looking for a cut-price deal in order to offload Nice, but is currently no closer to finding a buyer.
