Local authorities in the Breton city of Rennes have implemented a controversial ban on the colours red and black ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League encounter against AC Milan. The source of the controversy? The colours banned are also those of Stade Rennais.
The ban has not only drawn criticism but also derision. The measure, which comes into place on Wednesday afternoon and runs until midnight on Thursday, has been brought in by the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture in response to the game being classified as “high risk”.
❌ Local authorities in Rennes have banned fans from wearing red and black around the city ahead of AC Milan’s Europa League visit.
🔴⚫️ The only problem… those are also the colours of Stade Rennais. pic.twitter.com/SAI9qZF4iY
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) February 21, 2024
Ahead of the Europa League tie, Rennes fans are therefore essentially banned from wearing the colours of their own club around the city. The edict specifies that it is only banned for AC Milan fans to wear the colours, suggesting that it isn’t necessarily forbidden to wear black and red, only for Italian fans travelling to Roazhon Park to do so. Implementation of this ban will naturally be difficult.
Local authorities have justified the measure by pointing to recent incidences of violence involving fans of the Rossoneri, including the stabbing of a Newcastle United fan in Milan earlier this season.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
