France bans Basel football fans over security concerns

Nice fans light flares during the UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinal first leg match against FC Basel at the Saint Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel on April 13, 2023. The first leg ended 2-2. AFP / Sebastien Bozon

French authorities have banned Basel fans from the second leg of the Europa Conference League quarterfinals in Nice on Thursday evening to avoid clashes between rival supporters. FC Basel and fan groups contest the “arbitrary” decision.

On Tuesday the Ministry of the Interior issued an official order, stating that Basel away games are “frequently sources of disturbance to the public order”.

“Relations between supporters of the two teams, who share an opposing political ideology, are marked by animosity,” the ministry said. The first leg on April 13 ended 2-2.

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The ministry said that ahead of that game in Basel, “high-risk supporters of both teams made contact and planned to confront each other”. On the day of the match, there was “a massive use of pyrotechnic devices” and “incidents and provocations were relayed on social media, but without the planned clashes taking place”, the statement read.

“It is feared” that the return match on Thursday “will be the scene of clashes”, it added. The decision was also partly motivated by pension-related strikes in Nice on Thursday. The Nice authorities fear they may be unable to guarantee supporters’ safety.

On Thursday morning the Council of State in Paris, France’s highest administrative court, confirmed the ministry’s ban on FC Basel fans. It said the decision was motivated by “several hundred radical fans”, the “extremely high demands on French police officers…given the protests against pension reforms” and a larger border police presence at Menton to deal with a rise in illegal immigration.

“Available resources, which are already stretched, are insufficient to secure the match,” it added.

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Last week the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, urged that fans of the Swiss club be banned from Thursday’s game.

‘We must now accept this decision’

In an initial statementExternal link on Wednesday, FC Basel denounced the French decision as “arbitrary”.

It said: “FC Basel 1893 is furious and extremely disappointed with the unacceptable course of action and the decision by the French authorities”. It said it would be taking appropriate legal action.

Basel supporters, backed by the fan network Football Supporters Europe (FSE), also announced an appeal against the travel ban. Six of the club’s supporters’ groups also contested Tuesday’s order.

In a joint statement they denounced an announcement made less than 48 hours before kick-off, which shows “contempt for the freedom of movement of supporters and their right to follow their team in a safe and welcoming environment”.

In a statement on Thursday following the Council of State’s decision, FC Basel President David Degen declared: “I feel very sorry for all FCB fans who made the journey to Nice and, as always, wanted to actively support our team there. Unfortunately, we must now accept this decision as it is, even if we can by no means approve of it and understand it.”

Last year, when Basel visited Marseille in the Europa Conference League last-16, opposing ultras clashed.

For FC Basel fans, this will probably be the second match in a short space of time that they will not be able to attend. At last Sunday’s Basel FC-Young Boys Bern national league match, both fan areas were closed following an attack on security staff on April 5 after a cup match between the two sides that resulted in three people seriously injured.

Fans of Nice were involved in violent confrontations with visiting Cologne supporters last September, with 32 people injured.