As Nantes gear up to face Western rivals Stade Rennais in a derby clash on Saturday, we take a look at some iconic tifos during derby clashes and notable moments at Stade de la Beaujoire down the years.
As one of France's leading supporter groups, the Brigade Loire are well-known for their iconic displays and tifos. This year, the group celebrate their 25 years of existence, and ahead of a crunch derby clash against Rennes we take a look at some tifos which have marked recent memory.
Nantes vs Strasbourg, March 2024: Celebrating 25 years
The most recent, but perhaps the most notable in recent years as Brigade Loire celebrated their 25 years of existence against Strasbourg last March. During the course of the match (lost by the Canaris 1-3) Les Nantais deployed five tifos depicting the history of the group and the Loire stand, which houses the most fervent and vocal sections of FC Nantes' support.
FC Nantes vs Girondins de Bordeaux, February 2019: Hommage to legends
A poignant display, so much so that it was voted as the Tifo of the year by the club's fans for the 2019-2020 season! It was in homage to Emiliano Sala and other great historic personalities of the Club (Philippe Gondet, José Arribas, Seth Adonkor, Henri Michel, Philippe Daguillon and Jean Vincent). The message reads in French "From Adonkor to Sala, our collective memory makes you immortal!"
FC Nantes vs Juventus, February 2023: Facing up to European giants
This one came against Italian giants Juventus in the knockout play-off round of the UEFA Europa League last season. Despite losing the tie (4-1), Les Canaris did themselves proud off the pitch with a tifo depicting local landmarks and … a volcano. The message below in French reads: "A City in motion, La Beaujoire is Erupting!"
FC Nantes vs Olympique Lyonnais, April 2023: Another Coupe de France final?
2023 was certainly a busy year for Les Canaris as Nantes journeyed to the Coupe de France final for a second year in a row. Before the 1-0 victory against Lyon in the semi-finals that sparked a full-on pitch invasion, here the Brigade Loire decided to honour the heroes of Coupe de France titles gone by in the past as they searched for another title. The French reads: "We're down to do it again!"
FC Nantes vs Stade Brestois, December 2023: Rest in Peace, Max
🔰 Le superbe tifo des Nantais pour rendre hommage à Maxime 👏🏻#FCNSB29 pic.twitter.com/kF6Px7QlOO
— Prime Video Sport France (@PVSportFR) December 17, 2023
The winter months were painful for the Nantes faithful following the death of fellow supporter Maxime during a match against OGC Nice (1-0) only a few days earlier. The Brigade Loire paid tribute to 'Max' against Stade Brestois with a huge tifo and a poignant minute of silence. The French reads: "Max, Forever…"
