Photos: French Soccer Fans Brawl With Riot Police

Supporters of Ligue 1 side Saint-Étienne traveled to Nice for yesterday's match, and were not polite guests. They brawled with home fans, brawled with riot police, even brawled with each other in a bloody spectacle that left one man dangling from the upper deck.

The trouble started even before kick-off, when Saint-Étienne supporters began ripping apart seats and hurling them at Nice fans on either side of their section. Police moved in, armed with tear gas, pepper spray, and batons. One man went over the railing while trying to escape police, though he was lifted back up by his friends.

The public prosecutor in Nice has launched an investigation into one of the worst outbreaks of violence in French soccer in recent years.

[Via Dirty Tackle, all photos by Valery Hache/AFP]