“Not another year without Europe: Get Moving!” read a banner unfurled by the OGC Nice fans ahead of Friday night’s match against Montpellier HSC. Without a win in the last five and having lost three of the last four, Le Gym seemed on the precipice of crisis. There was a simmering discontent, but that would then boil over following their latest failure.
Florent Ghisolfi came out in support of Francesco Farioli pre-match, however, the latter is failing to arrest the slide. Montpellier had won just one in their last eight in Ligue 1 as they headed to the Allianz Riviera, however, they quickly took the lead thanks to a Jean-Clair Todibo own-goal. Despite Jérémie Boga’s equaliser just seconds later, Téji Savanier’s penalty restored Les Héraults lead. Nice could not restore parity and succumbed to a 2-1 loss. It is their fourth in the last five games, with the sole point coming against rock-bottom Clermont Foot.
The situation on the pitch has deteriorated over the course of the past month and post-match, the players’ relationship with the fans also broke down. “If you’re not happy, f**k off,” said the Nice ultras, which incited an angry response from Todibo, linked with a summer move.
Todibo explains fan confrontation
The France international went to angrily remonstrate with the Nice fans before being restrained by his teammates. “I don’t accept a lack of respect,” he said in the post-match mixed zone, explaining his reaction. “It got a bit heated between me and a supporter. It was nothing nasty,” added the reported Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea target.
Todibo then returned to speak with the Nice fans after the incident in order to ease the tensions. The best way to ease those tensions would be by returning to form. “We’re trying to get out of this negative spiral to reach certain objectives that would help our club […] I just tried to explain to the fans that we’re in the same boat,” Todibo told Prime Video Sport. However, that boat is currently sinking. “We can still finish in a European position,” said Farioli post-match but the longer this run goes on, the more their chances diminish.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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