Lyon fans barred from St Etienne clash

The Ligue 1 derby clash is often blighted by fan trouble, and it has been decided that the November 10 encounter in France's top flight is too risky to allow the presence of Les Gones' supporters.

"Anyone who is a member of a Lyon supporters' group - official or unofficial - or appears to be acting in a manner pertaining to support the away side, cannot enter the stadium or its peripheral zone," the Prefecture of the Loire said.

Last month a Lyon fan was beaten by St Etienne supporters, while a reciprocal assault took place days afterwards.

That led Lyon to release a statement condemning the escalation of the Rhone rivalry, which is relatively recent in development.

"Olympique Lyonnais denounces this behaviour and is determined to make everyone aware that they can intervene at their level and so make it stop," read a press release on the seven-times Ligue 1 champions' website.

"More than the previous incidents, the attack which a Lyon fan was the victim of last Thursday and that which a Saint-Etienne supporter suffered on Saturday are unacceptable.

"Olympique Lyonnais would like to remind everyone that the supporters concerned do not belong to official groups recognised by the club, but are - on the contrary - sympathetic to groups that the club has refused to recognise because they do not correspond to the values of OL, whose conviction to fight against all forms of violence has been reinforced once again."