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French police arrest 11 over Bastia violence

Bastia - French police arrested 11 men on Wednesday over the crowd trouble which forced the Ligue 1 match between Bastia and Lyon to be abandoned at half time.

Five people were already facing prosecution after a group of hardcore fans at the turbulent Corsican club invaded the pitch at their home ground on April 16 to attack the Lyon players.

"We do not blame them for the violence, but we believe that these people entered the pitch and pursued the Lyon players," Bastia prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told AFP after the latest wave of arrests.

The 11 face up to a year in prison if found guilty of encroaching onto the pitch.

Five others will go before a court on May 15 over the incidents, when Bastia fans invaded the pitch before the game and at half-time.

Two Lyon players, Anthony Lopes and Mathieu Gorgelin, filed police complaints after being attacked and the match was called off at half-time.

French football authorities are due to decide on disciplinary measures against the club - already bottom of Ligue 1 and facing relegation - on Thursday.

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