Dimitri Payet, a former West Ham player, has been involved in a number of incidents in the recent year.
After a season of pitch invasions and "criminal" behavior in Ligue 1, a FRENCH football chief has expressed concern for the safety of football fans.
This season has featured a number of high-profile occurrences in French football's top league.
Pitch invasions, thrown items at players, and fans attacking their own side are just a few of the spectacles that have marred the game this season. St Etienne's Ligue 1 status was jeopardized after a penalty shoot-out loss to Auxerre.
After losing a relegation play-off to AJ Auxerre on penalties last month, St Etienne fans threw flares at their own players and invaded the pitch, which was one of the worst moments of the season.
In an interview with L'Equipe, French football league director Vincent Labrune warned that if the current trend continues, the sport will become unsafe, and that clubs must get rid of "criminal" followers.
"As president, I don't want to know of a death in a stadium," he remarked. "In the stadia, we want to be the Development League, not the War League." I'm appealing to everyone's sense of responsibility. You must be courageous and place these criminals where they belong, not in stadiums. On and off the field, we had a catastrophic season. "At the League, we will take our responsibilities; the clubs must also take theirs and be conscious that they, as well as the public authorities, must assist us.' When the ANS (national association of supporters) says there are good and terrible supporters, excellent and bad ultras, it worries me. There are supporters and ultras, to be sure. The ultras' optimistic enthusiasm appeals to me.
The fact that no one was murdered in the incident at St Etienne, according to the football chief, was a "miracle."
In France, this was the latest in a series of incidents.
Lyon's match against Marseille was called off earlier this season after former West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet was injured by a bottle thrown from the bleachers.
Payet had also been assaulted in a game against Nice in August.
After supporter confrontations, a derby between Lille and Lens was delayed for 30 minutes.
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Dimitri Payet, a former West Ham player, has been involved in a number of incidents in the recent year.
St Etienne's Ligue 1 status was jeopardized after a penalty shoot-out loss to Auxerre.
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