PSG halt sale of tickets after fan's tragic death

PARIS St Germain will stop selling tickets for away matches for the rest of the season following the death of a fan after he was beaten up by a rival group from his own club.

"We will not resume selling (away] tickets before next season," said club president Robin Leproux. "We will take new and efficient measures to push violence away from the Parc des Princes and when we travel," he added without elaborating.

The 38-year-old fan, who was not named, fell into a coma after a clash between rival groups of PSG fans before a Ligue 1 game against Olympique Marseille in Paris on 28 February. He died in hospital late on Wednesday night. There is a long-standing feud between rival PSG fans from the Kop of Boulogne and the Tribune d'Auteuil. In the 2005-6 season the two groups were involved in riots at home and away grounds.

"It is news we were all fearing," said interior minister Brice Hortefeux after learning of the fan's death. He added that next week's French Cup game between AJ Auxerre and PSG would be played behind closed doors.

PSG will also play their next two league matches behind closed doors; their game at Nice tomorrow is to take place at an empty stadium after the French league (LFP) took disciplinary action against Nice fans for bad behaviour at a match at Monaco.