French Ligue 2 clubs scramble as heat wrecks pre‑season pitches

AS Saint‑Étienne’s summer preparations have been disrupted by an intense heatwave that rendered the turf at Thonon‑les‑Bains unfit for play. The club cancelled its friendly against Venezia at the original venue and moved the match to Divonne‑les‑Bains, where it will be held behind closed doors without spectators. The same heat forced a prior friendly against Lausanne to be relocated as well, complicating the new coaching staff’s efforts to ready the team for the upcoming Ligue 2 season.

In another pre‑season match, AS Nancy‑Lorraine played Annecy in the sweltering conditions of the Robert‑Bobin stadium in Dole, finishing 1‑1. Coach Oswald Tanchot noted the fixture offered a realistic gauge of his squad against a proven Ligue 2 opponent, despite the oppressive temperatures that have hampered training across the league.

Both clubs now face the challenge of completing their preparations while coping with the extreme weather that has left several French pitches unusable.