In a shameful season for fans, St-Étienne saved the worst for last

The cauldron finally boiled over. The Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is affectionately nicknamed Le Cauldron for its fiery atmosphere, but the moniker took on a sour flavour on Sunday night as St-Étienne’s relegation to Ligue 2 was greeted by hordes of flare-wielding fans chasing their players down the tunnel.

After a cataclysmic campaign on and off the pitch, St-Étienne scraped temporary survival on the final day of the league season thanks to a late equaliser from Romain Hamouma against Nantes. The goal took them above Metz in the table and into the relegation playoff, setting up a two-legged tie against Auxerre, who had finished third in Ligue 2.

After dominating last Thursday’s away leg but only coming away with a 1-1 draw, St-Étienne were unable to rise to the task in front of their home fans. With both games ending 1-1, the tie would be decided on penalties. Ryad Boudebouz’s opening spot-kick was saved and Auxerre scored all five of their penalties to earn promotion.

Birama Touré’s winning penalty had barely crossed the line when St-Étienne fans ran on to the pitch, converging in their thousands towards the tunnel as the players were evacuated quickly. Auxerre only had a split second to celebrate their return to Ligue 1 after a decade away, before the jubilant players who had flocked to Touré turned around and witnessed the mayhem unravel around them.

Flares were fired at players, seats were burned and riot police intervened with tear gas. Amazon Prime’s coverage had to be interrupted as the commentators struggled with the thick smoke. In a season where French football has embarrassed itself from the very start, St-Étienne fans left the worst for last as their anger spilled out of the stands and went from mere protest to