Fans let off flares ahead of the kickoff as Saint-Etienne hosted Lyon

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) - The Ligue 1 derby between Saint-Etienne and Lyon was interrupted just before half-time on Sunday evening after an assistant referee was hit by a projectile thrown from the crowd.

The linesman, Mehdi Rahmouni bent over and clutched his head on the touchline as visitors Lyon were about to take a throw in at the Geoffrey-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne.

Referee Francois Letexier ordered the players off.

Broadcaster DAZN reported that the officials and representatives of the clubs and the league were holding a meeting in the corridors of the ground and would decide whether to resume play or abandon the match within 45 minutes of the teams leaving the field.

Lyon fans were banned from travelling to the match between the bitter rivals. The announced attendance was 40,372.

Saint-Etienne have been threatened with closure of the two ends of the ground after recent “massive use of pyrotechnic devices and verbal abuse” but the pitch was still swathed in smoke from the stands before kick-off.

Struggling Saint-Etienne were winning 1-0 after a 10th-minute goal by Belgian Lucas Stassin.