Fans of Kylian Mbappe’s Ligue 2 club launch pitch invasion amid threat of relegation – after warning Real Madrid star they are not his ‘toy’

Ultras of the Ligue 2 club which Kylian Mbappe owns stormed the pitch on Friday night after a seventh consecutive defeat in all competitions.

Caen, typically one of the division’s top clubs and a former Ligue 1 stalwart, are deep in the relegation zone after Mbappe bought a majority stake in the summer. 

Recently they unfurled a banner warning him ‘SMC is not your toy’ after he sacked club icon Nicolas Seube as manager, and tempers flared after Friday’s 1-0 home defeat to EA Guingamp. 

Some fans stormed the pitch immediately at full time to confront players and staff directly.

Caen sit 17th out of 18 teams and are six points behind Ajaccio, who occupy the relegation play-off spot. Their last win in the league was on November 2. 

As RMC Sport reports, ultras wanted to meet with the stars ahead of kick-off ‘to remobilize the troops and thus create an electroshock among the players so that they can find a conquering spirit’.

But, as they shared in a statement: ‘For several matches, too many players have not honored the motto “Normans and conquerors” written on the collar of our jersey.

‘We are with them, and not against them. Unfortunately, we were refused by the Caen management’.

Mbappe bought a majority stake in Caen over the summer for £12.6m via Interconected Ventures, founded by the Real Madrid star, through its investment arm, Coalition Capital.

Caen are a proud club near France’s northern coast with the highest attendance figures in the French second tier, with an average of 15,000 supporters turning up to the Stade Michel-d’Ornano.

Players such as N’Golo Kante, William Gallas, and Thomas Lemar have donned the shirt down the years. 

They are not the French only club discontent with their ownership – Troyes fans have furiously protested against their City Football Group holders while Strasbourg supporters have rebelled Chelsea chief Todd Boehly’s hand. 

Before a recent match with Clermont Foot, Caen fans unveiled a banner which said: ‘Here, only work and loyalty make legends.’

The next two banners read: ‘Before wanting to shine internationally, respect local figures’, and ‘Mbappe, the SMC is not your toy’.

Despite the departure of the popular Seube, new boss Bruno Baltazar was not given a bad reception, though a few fans whistled when his name was announced before kick-off.

Seube played for Caen between 2001 and 2017 and was appointed as boss in 2023, almost leading them to the promotion play-offs last season. 

Caen scout David Lasry revealed in a BBC documentary that the club had come close to signing Mbappe when the forward was just 13.

Mbappe’s father had reportedly confirmed they had agreed for their son to join the club, who are based in Normandy.

The deal, however, collapsed when Caen were relegated from Ligue 1 to the second tier in 2012.

Mbappe would instead join Monaco’s academy, with the forward later breaking into the first-team set-up before joining PSG.