On Sunday, April 20, 2025, St. Stephen’s Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium will host the season’s major sporting event: the derby between AS Saint-Étienne and Olympique Lyonnais. In accordance with a practice established for several years, this match will take place in the absence of Lyon supporters, a measure imposed by a prefectural order to preserve public order. The Prefect of the Loire thus maintains a rigorous security policy, aligning himself with the number of ASSE meetings he has supervised since taking office, by enacting travel bans for OL supporters.

This order, published by Alexandre Rochatte, the prefect of the Loire, strictly forbids supporters of Olympique Lyonnais, or anyone who behaves as such, to access the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium and its immediate surroundings, as well as to move and park in downtown Saint-Étienne and within perimeters defined by decree. Specific traffic restrictions are also imposed on key streets and avenues, encompassing emblematic areas of the city. In addition, the possession, transport and use of pyrotechnic devices or objects that may be used as projectiles are strictly prohibited in these areas during the period concerned.

These security measures, decided after a careful assessment of the risks associated with tensions between the supporters of the two clubs, are designed to ensure the safety of persons and property and to ensure the smooth running of the sporting event. The Prefect of the Loire calls for scrupulous respect for these provisions, potentially paving the way for the marketing of parking spaces to ASSE fans, subject to the agreement of the rival club.