Sports Card Blogs

VIDEO: Lille fans attack players after Montpellier clash

A 1-1 draw on Saturday was overshadowed by a violent pitch invasion, in which the home players were targeted on their way back to the dressing rooms

Lille’s Ligue 1 clash against Montpellier ended in chaos when home fans invaded the pitch and accosted players on Saturday. 

The hosts were held 1-1 in a tight encounter, with Nicolas Pepe’s first-half goal for Lille cancelled out after the break by Montpellier. 

But the real drama began after the final whistle, when Lille fans streamed down from the stands to attack their own players. 

Editors' Picks

Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already played his final game for Inter Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from over

Pepe in particular found himself the target of aggression, while the rest of the team were barracked on their way back to the dressing rooms. 

All of this happened under the watchful eyes of Lille owner Gerard Lopez and sporting director Marc Ingla, who were present in the stadium as it unfolded. 

“We understand the reaction but we can’t accept that players have been attacked,” Lille’s Yassine Benzia said after the game. “There is a limit not to cross. I was already in the locker room but the group is quite young and some players were scared.”

Lille currently lie 19th in Ligue 1, one point shy of safety after 29 games of the season.

It was the second match in a top European league which suffered through fan violence, as West Ham supporters caused numerous delays in a 4-1 loss to Burnley, including one pitch invader who clashed with Hammers midfielder Mark Noble.