Society. Football: Ultra groups in the crosshairs of the Ministry of the Interior

For the second year in a row, ultra football supporters groups are under scrutiny. In spring 2025, the Nantes Brigade Loire and the two historical groups from Saint-Etienne, the Magic Fans and the Green Angels, were targeted for dissolution by the then Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau. Two hooligan groups, Strasbourg Offender and Légion X (Paris FC), were also dissolved a few months later.

Despite discussions, the two ultra supporter associations of AS Saint-Etienne (ASSE), founded in the early 1990s, are once again facing a dissolution procedure since early April. They are supported by local politicians and their club, as well as by over 130 supporter groups in France who fear a possible ripple effect. Banners like “No to the dissolution of the Saint-Etienne groups” have been seen in rival Lyon Bad Gones stands in recent weeks.

Last spring, Beauvau listed violent acts committed in the previous months by the two ultra groups as justification for the dissolution procedure, citing their support for ASSE as fueling perpetual physical confrontations. Although incidents have increased after the post-lockdown period, data from the National Division against Hooliganism do not show a significant surge in violence.

The latest DNLH report, published in early February, reported 910 arrests related to matches in France in the previous season, a 26.7% increase from the previous year. It remains unclear whether this increase is due to rising violence or heightened police presence.

The dissolution procedures initiated against the Nantes Brigade Loire and the Saint-Etienne ultra groups last year puzzled experts, like socialist MP Sacha Houlié, who authored a parliamentary report on hooliganism in 2020. He noted that the situation had calmed down with fewer major incidents.

As groups like Strasbourg Offender openly align with the far right, most ultra groups claim to be apolitical, although some members may hold political leanings. The recent political announcements following the death of Quentin Deranque in Lyon have led to intensified scrutiny of ultra groups, with implications for their existence.

Despite the possible dissolution, groups like Magic Fans and Green Angels insist that removing them would not prevent fans from attending matches but would disrupt established communication structures between the club, authorities, and local communities.

Concerns arise that without individual measures, such as stadium bans for specific individuals, the dissolution of ultra groups could lead to the formation of more violent and radical factions without the internal regulation provided by the ultra groups.

Following a hearing at the ministry in mid-April, the lawyer representing the Saint-Etienne groups, Mr. Pierre Barthélemy, stated on RMC radio, “Whatever happens, we will continue to live and support.”