For the 28th day of Ligue 1, OGC Nice travels to the Mosson, Montpellier’s stadium. Unfortunately, the Gym will have to manage without its supporters, who are banned from traveling.
After home victories in the Coupe de France (against Versailles) and in Ligue 1 (against Paris Saint-Germain), the Aiglons will head to Hérault to face MHSC. It is an important match, as it could allow the Gym to secure its second place in the standings.
For this trip, OGC Nice might count on the return of Youcef Atal to the squad, but in any case, the club from the Côte d’Azur will not be at full strength, as its fans cannot accompany them. Indeed, the prefecture of Hérault has issued an order banning Nice supporters from traveling.
The department’s prefect explained the reasons behind this ban:
The very bitter departure of Delort
First of all, it is primarily the departure of Montpellier’s former captain Andy Delort to Nice at the end of last summer. A local boy, the striker had often expressed his desire to finish his career at the Paillade club. According to the prefect, this “surprise departure” was seen as a betrayal by the Hérault supporters. They have not “forgiven this last-minute defection” and want to “aveng this affront.”
“A historical rivalry”
Besides Delort’s departure, the prefecture mentions a “historical rivalry” between the two clubs and their supporters. They recall the sad past events between fans of the two clubs: in 2014, “120 OGC Nice supporters” had gathered in downtown Montpellier, while in July 2021, five ultras from the Côte d’Azur club were “severely beaten” at a campsite on the outskirts of the city.
For these two reasons, from noon to midnight on Saturday, “it is forbidden for any person claiming to be a supporter of the OGC Nice club or behaving as such” to access the Montpellier stadium, as well as the city center or even the Hôpitaux Facultés and Mosson districts.
