French powerhouse, Bordeaux, will remain in the second division next season after the league on Monday handed the six-time champions a loss for a game that was abandoned after a pitch invader attacked a player from Rodez.
The league’s disciplinary committee ruled that the season finale, which Bordeaux had to win to keep their promotion hopes alive, will not be replayed. It also deducted a point from Bordeaux for next season and ordered the closure of the south stand at Bordeaux stadium for two games.
The June 2 match between Bordeaux and Rodez was stopped shortly after Lucas Buades gave Rodez a 1-0 lead on the final day of the season. While Rodez players celebrated, a Bordeaux fan stepped onto the pitch and pushed Buades to the ground.
The match referee stopped proceedings and sent both teams back to the locker room and Buades was diagnosed with a concussion and the game did not resume.
Bordeaux were involved in a two-way battle with Metz for the second promotion spot behind second-division champion Le Havre. Metz beat Bastia 3-2 on the final day and will be promoted unless Bordeaux manage to overturn the committee’s decision.
Bordeaux said in a statement that the ruling was “as incomprehensible as it is disproportionate” and that it would refer the case to France’s national Olympic committee.
With six French leagues titles, four French Cups, three League Cups and success on the European stage, the southwestern club are one of the most decorated in the country. Bordeaux last won a league title in 2009, before the emergence of Paris Saint-Germain.