Traveling fans banned from French soccer matches after attacks
Traveling fans will not be allowed to attend French professional soccer matches this weekend amid heightened security throughout the country following the recent attacks in Paris, according to the Associated Press.
The French league announced the move Tuesday following a meeting between league president Frederic Thiriez’s and France’s anti-hooliganism body.
French sports minister Patrick Kanner announced earlier that all matches in both Ligue 1 and the second division would go ahead as planned.
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“Obviously the league took measures to secure all professional matches and the state will use its powers of policing to guarantee security,” Kanner said.
The attacks in Paris on Friday, which resulted in the deaths of 129 people, occurred at popular sites throughout the city. One explosion was focused on the Stade de France, where the French and German national teams were playing a friendly match.
On Tuesday, a friendly between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled when an explosive device was discovered at the stadium, leading to its evacuation.
