Nancy will lose their fully professional status for the first time after fan protests resulted in relegation from Ligue 2.

France great Michel Platini made his name at Nancy, who have been an ever-present in France's top two tiers since becoming a professional side in 1967.

However, they will play in the third tier next season after their relegation from Ligue 2 was confirmed.

Playing against fellow strugglers Quevilly Rouen on Friday, Nancy needed a positive result to keep their chances of survival alive, yet a fan protest against the club's owners – Pacific Media Group (PMG) – resulted in the match being called off due to security concerns, with smoke bombs having been thrown onto the pitch.

Quevilly were therefore handed a 3-0 victory and three points, confirming Nancy's drop out of the professional leagues.

They last played in Ligue 1 in 2016-17, though had been ever-present in the top flight between 1996 and 2013.

It marked a dark day for PMG, which owns multiple clubs in Europe. Indeed, elsewhere on Friday, Barnsley, another team backed by the American-Chinese consortium, were relegated from the Championship to League One.

#ASNLQRM Une infinie tristesse !
Suite aux fumigènes envoyés par les supporters, la rencontre a été définitivement arrêtée à la 40ème minute. L’#ASNL évoluera en National la saison prochaine.
@NANCOMCY1, partenaire du score
https://t.co/Nw3Ldm1IKn pic.twitter.com/oiwQAntyoz
— AS Nancy-Lorraine (@asnlofficiel) April 22, 2022