French FA Ethics Committee Urges Fan Neutrality Amid Nationwide Student Protests

The French Football Federation's ethics committee has urged supporters to remain neutral amid nationwide student protests that have captured international attention. A heavy-handed police response to the largely peaceful demonstrations has drawn widespread criticism, prompting football fans across the country to voice solidarity from the terraces, reports AP.

Riot police have deployed tear gas and batons extensively to disperse crowds. Over 6,600 arrests were recorded nationwide by last week—an unusually high number for a French protest movement. A tear gas canister fractured the jaw of a 14-year-old and knocked out several teeth, while a 15-year-old lost a hand in a stun grenade incident. Several other young people have also sustained severe injuries attributed to crowd-control weapons used during the unrest.

During last week's Ligue 1 fixture between Lens and Lyon, home supporters unfurled a banner calling for an end to "disproportionate and systematic police violence," according to the National Council of Ethics and Conduct (CNE). The body also noted that in the 30th minute of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Le Mans, fans displayed a banner reading: "Your militias suppress, our youth resist."

In an official statement, the federation's ethics committee acknowledged it was understandable why young supporters—many of whom are students—would use football matches to publicly express solidarity with protesters. However, it stressed that the principle of political neutrality is firmly enshrined in sports regulations, both nationally and internationally.

"Sport must unite, not divide. The objective is to ensure that stadiums do not become arenas for political or union disputes, but remain places of celebration and shared joy centered around sport," the statement added.