Saint-Etienne supporters have been banned by French authorities from traveling to Marseille for this weekend's Ligue 1 game between the two clubs with the biggest fan bases in France.
In an order published Wednesday, France's interior ministry said there is a real and serious risk of confrontation between the rival fans.
Second-placed Marseille takes on struggling Saint-Etienne at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
While Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain remains the biggest match in French soccer, and is known as Le Classique," Saint-Etienne and Marseille have a special rivalry of their own. They were the two most decorated clubs in French football before PSG started its dominance after Qatari investors took over in 2011.
Saint-Etienne which has 10 league titles to its name, one more than Marseille dominated French football during the 1960s and '70s. Mediterranean club Marseille became one of Saint-Etienne's strongest rivals after regaining a spot in the topflight in 1966.
Marseil