French player attacked by own fans, needs surgery

Lens - A French footballer will have an operation to fix a finger that was broken in an attack by supporters of his own team.

Midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud, of Ligue 2 side Lens, suffered a fractured finger in his right hand that will require "a minor intervention", a source close to the club told AFP on Wednesday.

Lens coach Antoine Kombouare said Bourigeaud, 21, hurt his hand when he was "ambushed" by a group of six people outside a nightclub near the northern French town of Arras on Saturday.

The supporters were angry at the club's decision to sell Belgian striker Baptiste Guillaume to their local rivals Lille. Bourigeaud was sticking up for his former teammate.

The player, who has yet to decide if he will press charges, wrote on Twitter: "Everything is fine don't worry I will be back very soon."

Lens, French champions in 1998, were relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of last season and have been badly affected by financial problems.