Nice’s players and staff were attacked by their own fans a few months ago. On Sunday night, their ultras stormed the pitch after their goalless draw at home to Metz and the players had to scamper down the tunnel. It was a perfect snapshot of the scale of Ineos’s failure and the anger the owner has elicited from the club’s supporters.
Nice’s season began with Champions League qualifiers and it could end with relegation to Ligue 2. Their failure to beat Metz on the final day of the season means they will face Saint-Étienne in a two-legged relegation playoff later this month. The timing is a disaster for Ineos, which is looking to cut and run after failing to turn the club into challengers to Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance – its stated ambition when buying Nice for €100m (£86.5m) in 2019.
