The FFF Superior Appeals Commission confirmed the two closed-door matches at the Allianz Riviera and added a one-point deduction suspended for the 2026-2027 season. The club denounces a sanction deemed disproportionate.
OGC Nice strongly contests the decision handed down by the Superior Appeals Commission of the French Football Federation following the incidents that occurred during the match against FC Metz on May 17, 2026.
In a statement published today, the Azurian club is particularly outraged by the addition of a one-point deduction suspended for the 2026-2027 season. An additional sanction imposed after the appeal filed by Gym.
Initially, the Disciplinary Commission of the Professional Football League had sanctioned OGC Nice with two total closed-door matches at the Allianz Riviera as well as a third match suspended.
After examining the file, the FFF Superior Appeals Commission upheld the two firm closed-door matches and decided to add a one-point deduction suspended for the next season.
The return playoff against AS Saint-Étienne, played behind closed doors at the Allianz Riviera, was directly affected by this sanction.
The suspended one-point deduction at the center of criticism
OGC Nice believes that this new sanction far exceeds the scope of the charges brought following the match against FC Metz.
The Azurian club acknowledges the incidents that occurred at the final whistle, marked by pitch invasion and use of pyrotechnic devices. However, Nice’s management considers that the sanction “resembles heresy given the measures taken, its constant cooperation with the competent authorities and the management of the situation which was moreover praised by the LFP delegates of the match.”
Gym especially insists on the consequences of the one-point deduction suspended for the 2026-2027 season. In its statement, the club recalls the difficulties encountered in many French stadiums concerning the use of smoke bombs.
According to OGC Nice, “everyone knows that simple use of smoke bombs is likely to result in automatic lifting of this suspension”. The club therefore believes that this sanction appears “virtually certain even before the start of next season”.
Nice’s management also recalls that the closed-door playoff return represented a heavy sanction on both a sporting and emotional level. “Depriving an entire stadium of such a crucial meeting appears, in our view, as a particularly severe measure, both on the sporting and emotional level”, writes the club.
OGC Nice will appeal to the CNOSF
Faced with this decision, OGC Nice announces its appeal to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee in order to request conciliation. The club also specifies that proceedings before the Administrative Court could be initiated if this approach does not succeed.
OGC Nice finally affirms its determination to defend its interests while continuing its prevention and accountability work with supporters.
This matter comes at an already tense period for Gym. Sixteenth in Ligue 1, the Azurian club is fighting for survival following an end of season marked by playoffs against AS Saint-Étienne and an Allianz Riviera deprived of spectators. The home return match is scheduled for this Friday, May 29.
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