'Merci City!' - Troyes fans turn on City Football Group and throw flares onto pitch forcing abandonment of Valenciennes clash, as club teeter on brink of relegation

Troyes are on the brink of successive relegations having dropped out of Ligue 1 last season. They are currently 17th in Ligue 2, just three points ahead of both Quevilly-Rouen and Concerneau. With the team drawing 1-1 with rock-bottom Valenciennes, fans had seen enough and hurled flares onto the pitch - and some Troyes players responded by throwing them back into the stands.

The chants of ‘Merci City’ are damning for the City Football Group, who purchased a majority stake in Troyes in September 2020. The CFG takes its name from Premier League champions Manchester City and the holding company has various other high-profile subsidiaries, including Girona, Melbourne City, New York City FC and Mumbai City. It is fronted by Khaldoon Al-Mubarak.

Troyes won the now discontinued UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001 by beating Newcastle in a two-legged final. The two teams drew 4-4 at St James’ Park, with the French outfit claiming victory courtesy of the away goals rule.

As Troyes await potential punishments for the game against Valenciennes being abandoned and a possible rescheduling, they can look towards their final two matches of the campaign. With Ligue 2 survival on the line, first up is a trip to Stade Laval next week before a home meeting with Annecy on May 17.