Police called in as Terem Moffi, teammate attacked by own supporters

French Ligue 1 club Nice have found themselves in the headlines after two of their players, Terem Moffi and Jérémie Boga, were placed on medical leave following an ugly confrontation with their own supporters.

The team had returned from a 3–1 defeat at Lorient expecting a quiet bus ride back through the French Riviera, but instead, an estimated 400 fans were waiting.

As the bus pulled into the training ground, ultras surrounded the vehicle. Moffi and Boga were met with a barrage of abuse the moment they stepped off. Witnesses say two supporters made it onto the bus, confronting terrified players.

As they left the bus, the abuse turned into a physical altercation with spitting, punching, kicking, and even racist insults.

Nice’s form has been terrible with six straight losses, but this was something else entirely.

Moffi is so shaken that he has been excused from the team by medical staff for a full week, ruling him out of Sunday’s match with Angers. Boga has been given five days off, but could play if he feels mentally and physically ready. Physical injuries heal. Psychological ones linger.

The French Professional Football League (LFP) stepped in quickly, condemning the attacks as “totally unacceptable” and promising to join the players as a civil party in their complaints.

“These assaults… undermine the integrity of the players and the values of football,” the league said. Nice are now awaiting the police report before deciding their next move, which may include pressing charges. Sunday’s match will be played under tightened security.

But beyond the immediate fallout, there’s a more uncomfortable question sitting in front of us, and that is football fandom that appears to be spiralling out of control.

We’re seeing anger turn into entitlement, frustration morph into violence, and the thin line between passion and hostility getting trampled. This wasn’t support. It wasn’t even a protest. It was a reminder that a toxic minority can warp the entire landscape if the sport and society don’t draw a line.