Bastia-Nantes Ligue 1 clash postponed over fan riots

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has postponed Bastia’s fixture with Nantes scheduled for Saturday following violent clashes in the Corsican city.

Violence marred Bastia’s 1-0 win over Reims last weekend, with supporters arrested following the match on Saturday.

The events sparked violent scenes in Bastia 24 hours later as fans attacked a police station, and the protests continued on Monday and Tuesday.

Bastia were ordered to bring forward Saturday’s kick-off by six hours but the Ligue 1 club refused, leading LFP to postpone the match until March 9.

“As president of the LFP, I cannot accept that football is a hostage to political battles,” said LFP president Frederic Thiriez.

“I cannot tolerate that football be a pretext for violent actions.”

Bastia are 12th in the standings after 26 rounds, five points adrift of high-flying Nantes.