Up for it: French football fan facing up to 1 year in jail after ‘MASTURBATING in front of rival supporters’ during crowd clashes

A fan of French football club Lille is facing police action after getting overly excited during crowd trouble at the derby with Lens, reportedly flashing at rival supporters while pleasuring himself.

The clash between the bitter Ligue 1 enemies on Saturday was marred by a mass brawl as thugs fought police and Lens fans invaded the pitch in an effort to reach supporters in the away sector of the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.  

Amid the carnage, one visiting Lille fan was apparently pictured masturbating in the stands, directing himself towards home supporters in the Trannin part of the ground where families are often housed.

According to reports in the local media, the unidentified man faces prosecution for sexual exhibition in a public place, which potentially carries a fine of up to €15,000 ($17,600) and up to one year in prison.

The act was just one part of an unsavory Derby du Nord (Northern Derby) clash which home team Lens ended up winning 1-0 against last season’s shock Ligue 1 champions.

Seats were thrown onto the pitch while a Nazi salute was also reported. The violence is said to have injured at least six people.

The ugly scenes are the latest to tarnish French football, following in the footsteps of the abandoned derby clash between Marseille and Nice in August.

On that occasion, Nice fans stormed the pitch to clash with Marseille players, some of whom had thrown projectiles back into the crowd after having them hurled in their direction.

In the aftermath, the Ligue 1 authorities ordered the game to be replayed behind closed doors at a neutral location while also docking Nice two points – one of which was suspended.

Nice will be forced to play two more home games behind closed doors, while Marseille’s Dimitri Payet was handed a one-game ban after he threw a bottle back into the crowd after it struck him, triggering the chaos. 

Payet’s teammate Alvaro Gonzalez has been slapped with a two-match ban, while Marseille physio Pablo Fernandez has been suspended for nine months after he was seen striking a Nice fan.

Sanctions are likely to be rolled out against Lille and Lens in the wake of their clashes at the weekend.