Bastia-Lyon match delayed after home fans 'attack' visiting players in warm up

Lyon have endured a delayed start to a match for the second time in a week, on this occasion after a group of Bastia fans "attacked" visiting players at the Stade Armand Cesari.

On Thursday, Lyon's Europa League meeting with Besiktas began 45 minutes late after visiting fans threw projectiles and fireworks onto the home supporters, forcing them onto the Parc OL pitch.

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Lyon and Besiktas and there will likely be a French league investigation into the events which marred Sunday's encounter with Bastia in Corsica.

Shortly before the scheduled 1600 BST kick-off time, Lyon tweeted that "Bastia fans had entered the pitch to attack the Lyon players who were finishing their warm-up."

Further tweets from the club's official OLTV account, authored by former Les Gones left-back Jeremy Berthod, said: "The Bastia supporters were chucking balls at (goalkeeper Mathieu) Gorgelin's goal.

"He and Memphis (Depay) started throwing them back... before a lot of Bastia supporters attacked them.

"The players all huddled together. They and the staff were all very shocked.

"None of them wanted to come back out of the changing room and play the match."

L'Equipe journalist Vincent Duluc was quoted on the OLTV account as saying: "Memphis was pushed by a supporter.

"Lots of them had been throwing balls at the players and they just started pushing them and then a fight broke out. I've never seen anything like it in 30 years."

While all professional parties waited inside the Armand Cesari after the incident, a tweet from Lyon said the game would kick off an hour late and the match got under way shortly after 1700 BST.

Bastia, who are currently bottom of the Ligue 1 table, came under scrutiny earlier this season after a fan had to be banned from the stadium for allegedly aiming racist abuse at Nice striker Mario Balotelli.

Paris St Germain forward Lucas Moura was struck by an object thrown from the stands while he took a corner during a league match at Bastia in August.

The trouble reignited at half-time. After the first period finished goalless, Lyon tweeted: "Once again there are scuffles after the whistle. Anthony Lopes has been taken to task by fans on the pitch."

Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, who was not in the squad, tweeted: "Pfffff shameful! Nonsense!"

His thoughts were shared by his fellow absent team-mate Corentin Tolisso, who wrote: "It's shameful."