PSG unveil plan to curb fan violence

Posted Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

PARIS, May 18 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain chairman Robin Leproux unveiled on Tuesday a plan to curb violence among rival groups of hardline supporters which led to the death of two fans in three years.

Leproux told a news conference the club would suspend the sale and renewal of season tickets for the 2010-2011 season.

Tickets will be named and seats in the Boulogne and Auteuil stands, strongholds of hardline supporter groups, will be allocated at random.

One section of each stand will be reserved for young players from the Paris area and another one for families.

“With two deaths in three years, we have reached a point of no return between the two stands and the situation is getting worse and worse,” Leproux said.

“It’s our duty to react. This plan is vital for the survival of the club.”

The violence between the Boulogne and Auteuil groups of supporters reached its climax on Feb. 28 when a 38-year-old member of the Boulogne Kop was beaten up by Tribune d’Auteuil supporters and died in hospital a few days later.

The two groups had been involved in riots at home and away grounds since the 2005-06 season and in November 2006 a police officer shot and killed a member of the Boulogne Boys faction to protect an Israeli supporter under attack after a UEFA Cup match against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The French government banned five PSG fan associations following the February riots. The club were forced to play games behind closed doors and the management decided to stop selling tickets for away games for the rest of the season.