{"id":519306,"date":"2026-04-08T10:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/519306\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:05:20","slug":"investigation-launched-as-top-rugby-match-ends-in-violent-car-park-brawl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/519306\/","title":{"rendered":"Investigation launched as top rugby match ends in violent car park brawl"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tensions are said to have boiled over almost immediately after the final whistle at the Pr\u00e9-Fleuri Stadium following the match<\/p>\n<p>14:05, 06 Apr 2026Updated 14:10, 06 Apr 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2260818511.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"USO Nevers players at Pre Fleuri Stadium \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">USO Nevers players at Pre Fleuri Stadium (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A brutal relegation battle in France\u2019s ProD2 spiralled into extraordinary scenes after Nevers\u2019 44-41 win over B\u00e9ziers allegedly sparked a stadium brawl, a blocked team bus and even a car chase on a major road.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">According to <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyrama.fr\/2026\/04\/04\/exclu-midol-pro-d2-bagarre-poursuite-en-voiture-que-sest-il-passe-entre-nevers-et-beziers-apres-le-coup-de-sifflet-final-13309652.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Midi Olympique in France<\/a>, tensions boiled over almost immediately after the final whistle at the Pr\u00e9-Fleuri Stadium following a match loaded with survival pressure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nevers\u2019 dramatic victory &#8211; their first win of 2026 &#8211; lifted them above B\u00e9ziers in the table and cranked up the pressure on the visitors, who remain in deep relegation trouble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">French reports claim the first spark came when Nevers players not involved in the matchday squad taunted B\u00e9ziers players after full-time, with one official said to have filed a report over the touchline confrontation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">From there, things escalated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Midol reports Nevers&#8217; Jason Fraser is alleged to have entered the visitors\u2019 dressing room looking to confront opposite number Otunuku Pauta, although the pair were separated before the situation could turn physical.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The ugliest scenes followed during the post-match reception, where tempers reportedly flared between props Ilia Kaikatsishvili and Youssef Amrouni.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The pair are said to have moved behind the B\u00e9ziers team bus in the car park to settle their differences, where punches were allegedly exchanged, with Nevers&#8217; Kaikatsishvili said to have been left with a broken nose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nevers president R\u00e9gis Dumange later confirmed the Georgian required treatment from the club doctor, while accounts from both sides reportedly differ over exactly how the confrontation began.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cLater, when I went downstairs, I saw the club doctor treating Ilia,&#8221; Dumange told Journal du Centre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;He told me he\u2019d just been headbutted and had a broken nose. The two coaching staffs met to calm things down. It was decided that B\u00e9ziers would leave earlier than planned to prevent the situation from escalating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">What happened next took the chaos to another level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Senior players and coaches from both teams, including Samuel Marques and Jason Fraser, reportedly stepped in to calm things down as the atmosphere inside the stadium became increasingly heated in front of supporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But according to Midi Olympique, the disorder briefly threatened to spill beyond the ground when two Nevers players allegedly positioned a car in front of the stadium exit in an attempt to block the B\u00e9ziers team bus from leaving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Club staff and team-mates again intervened to defuse the situation before it escalated further.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Dumange then claimed Kaikatsishvili later got into a car with two fellow Georgians and pursued the B\u00e9ziers bus along the N7 between Nevers and Moulins, allegedly trying to force it to stop so Amrouni could apologise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">French reports allege the car pulled in front of the bus and braked in an attempt to make it stop, prompting B\u00e9ziers staff to urgently contact Nevers boss Xavier P\u00e9m\u00e9ja, who is said to have called the player and ordered him to return home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The matter was eventually cooled when the two main protagonists reportedly spoke by phone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">For now, Nevers do not intend to file a formal complaint, with Dumange keen to downplay the affair publicly, but the LNR is looking into the incident and have opened an investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tensions are said to have boiled over almost immediately after the final whistle at the Pr\u00e9-Fleuri Stadium following&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[22143,5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-519306","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-france-rugby-team","9":"tag-rugby","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}