The mayor of Lavelanet, Marc Sanchez, has banned FC Laroque-d'Olmes from using the town's stadium after a dispute that followed a second-round Coupe de France match against FC Pamiers, a row that has spread across two neighbouring towns in the Ariège department of southern France.
In a letter dated 10 September 2026 to Guy Glaria, president of the Ligue Occitanie de football, Sanchez said Lavelanet town hall had agreed on 4 September to lend its Éric-Spécia stadium to FC Laroque-d'Olmes so the match could be played, describing it as a duty owed to both Pamiers and Laroque-d'Olmes and to the League. He wrote that he then had to report an incident involving match delegate Raymond Miquel, who is also a deputy mayor of Lavelanet, saying Miquel had been confronted by the Laroque-d'Olmes coach. Sanchez said this kind of aggressive behaviour could not be tolerated on a pitch and that Lavelanet would no longer lend its ground to the Laroque club.
A copy of the letter was sent to FC Laroque-d'Olmes and to Laroque-d'Olmes town hall. It was quickly reposted on the town hall's social media account before being taken down a few minutes later.
Why the match had to be moved
The tie could not be played at Laroque-d'Olmes's own Lopez-Trémesaygues stadium because the pitch was unplayable. It was then due to be switched to the Le Peyrat ground, but the referee also ruled that pitch unfit. With no midweek fixture possible, Lavelanet stepped in with its Éric-Spécia stadium. FC Pamiers went on to win and qualify, but the match ended with the confrontation between Miquel and the Laroque-d'Olmes coach.
The delegate's account
Miquel said there had been excessive remarks. He said he had been talking to the players when the coach came over and added fuel to the fire, calling it an incident like hundreds of others he had seen. Such conduct can carry a lengthy suspension, though the Ligue Occitanie has not yet taken up the case. Miquel said what had upset Lavelanet's mayor was that the town hall had gone out of its way to host the match, and that the episode was more silly than malicious.
Coach denies any incident
The Laroque-d'Olmes coach rejected that version, saying frankly there had been no incident and that he had only told the delegate not to speak to his players. Nabil Lahlouah, president of FC Laroque-d'Olmes, said he was saddened by the affair. He said he learned of it on Friday morning, was not at the match himself, and understood that some words had been exchanged but nothing serious. He said the club now found itself caught between the two town halls, adding that he personally had no dispute with anyone.
Laroque-d'Olmes mayor defends publishing the letter
Patrick Laffont, mayor of Laroque-d'Olmes, admitted he had put the letter online, saying it was a chance to put pressure on everyone. He said he was tired of carrying the blame for incidents that did not concern him, and that a single person was giving the town a bad image. Laffont said Laroque-d'Olmes was in the middle of rebuilding its own pitch, that Lavelanet had kindly lent a ground, and that the same individual had caused trouble again. He said he wanted transparency and would talk to the club about drawing up a code of conduct, adding that he was no longer prepared to shield people who caused public disorder, and that one person's foolishness should not put everything in question.
"I am being made the scapegoat"
The coach was equally forceful, saying the two town halls were settling their differences through football and that he had become the scapegoat. He said the mayor of Laroque-d'Olmes should check his facts and call the Ligue Occitanie before speaking out, and called it unacceptable that Sanchez's letter had been published, questioning by what right this had been done. He said his image had been damaged, described it as harassment and a trial based on bad intentions, and said families kept bringing their children to him to coach. He added that he had personally spent two and a half months repairing Laroque-d'Olmes's pitch, and warned the mayor to be careful about what he said.
The Coupe de France is France's national knockout football competition, open each year to clubs from all levels of the game, from top-flight professional sides down to small amateur teams like FC Laroque-d'Olmes and FC Pamiers. As of the time of writing, the Ligue Occitanie de football had not opened any disciplinary proceedings over the incident.
