Shocking violence between French & Turkish fans delays Europa League kickoff (VIDEO)

Crowd trouble involving supporters of Turkish side Besiktas and French team Olympique Lyonnais delayed the start of the pair’s Europa League quarter-final match on Thursday.

Supporters were forced to flood onto the pitch at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais to escape firecrackers being set off and projectiles being thrown as fans clashed in the stands.

One fan was photographed raising a metal crutch and menacing a crowd of people that included a little girl in the stands.

Players from both sides had emerged for the warm-up before the game when objects began to be thrown onto the pitch.

“Projectiles and fireworks launched from the top of the stands require supporters to seek refuge on the pitch,” Lyon tweeted, including an image of the chaos.

Earlier in the day, fans clashed in the city in southeast France, turning the streets into smoke-filled battle zones.

The match was scheduled to begin at 9:05pm local time, but as supporters flooded the playing area, UEFA spokesman Pedro Pinto tweeted that there would be a delay due to “crowd disturbances.”

Pinto then tweeted the match would go ahead at 9:50pm.

When the match finally got underway, goals from Corentin Tolisso and Jeremy Morel in the 83rd and 85th minutes earned Lyon a 2-1 win. The home side had originally gone behind through a Ryan Babel strike on 15 minutes.

UEFA has increased security since an explosion rocked the Borussia Dortmund team bus on Tuesday as it was transporting players to the Champions League tie with Monaco. Defender Marc Bartra suffered injuries to his arm and wrist that required surgery.