A significant police security operation will be implemented for AJ Auxerre's trip to Lyon this Friday evening. This decision follows racist violence incidents that occurred after Olympique Lyonnais's last home game.
The Rhône prefect, Étienne Guyot, ordered this reinforcement. "Given the events that occurred during the last match and the tensions of recent days, Prefect Étienne Guyot has decided to deploy more police officers and mobilize the CRS 83," he stated. The Ligue 1 matchday 3 fixture will take place at the Stade de Décines and will be broadcast on Ligue 1+ and L'Équipe.
Serious assaults took place last Saturday after OL's draw against Le Havre (1-1). A couple, with the woman being a local elected official from Rillieux-la-Pape, was targeted by Lyon supporters. The victim reported on Facebook having endured racist insults before being struck.
Two other people were assaulted just before the match. Among them was a 17-year-old young man. His mother described the scene: "He was with friends when a group of several dozen people, some of them masked, shouted 'negros, bougnoules, we are going to kill you'." According to her account, her son then received kicks and punches.
The Lyon prosecutor's office confirmed opening two separate criminal investigations for "aggravated violence resulting in total work incapacity exceeding eight days."
AJ Auxerre approaches this match in serious sporting difficulty. The Burgundy club currently sits in 18th place in the Ligue 1 standings with 0 points after two defeats. Their recent form shows two consecutive losses. The team has scored 3 goals this season but conceded 8, resulting in a -5 goal difference. They are already 7 points behind leaders Lille.
The list of absentees for this trip is substantial. Assane Dioussé, Axel Tuanzebe, Fredrik Oppegård, Marvin Senaya, and Sekou Fofana are currently sidelined. These absences complicate the manager's task in selecting his team against Lyon.
Beyond the result in Décines, AJA must quickly gather points to escape the relegation zone. The schedule doesn't get easier with the home fixture against Nice scheduled for September 12th. OGC Nice, 17th in the table, will be a direct opponent in the battle for survival. The full upcoming fixture list is available on our fixtures calendar.
The current standings show the urgency of the situation for the Auxerre club. Avoiding the bottom spot is important to not fall behind early in the season. The standings page allows you to follow the evolution of the relegation battle.
Friday night's match therefore represents a double challenge for AJ Auxerre: facing an opponent in a tense security context and attempting to secure a first positive result to restart their season. The next home fixture against Nice on September 12, 2026, already constitutes a major deadline in the fight for survival.
