Tempers flared in Paris after Liam Rosenior's Paris FC beat RC Strasbourg on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Rosenior previously managed Strasbourg but left abruptly in January 2026 to take over Chelsea, which shares ownership with the Ligue 1 club.
After spending just four months at Chelsea before getting his marching orders, Rosenior took time off and then was hired to lead the upstart Parisian side. But his departure summed up many Strasbourg fans' frustrations with the way the team is operated under BlueCo ownership - and lingering tensions boiled over during the first reuinon.
Hours before LSU's American football coach Lane Kiffin faces his former fans at Ole Miss, Rosenior settled in for a home contest but still endured constant verbal abuse from the
away supporters.
A 2-1 win for Paris FC that keeps his side undefeated and pushes it to second in the Ligue 1 table after five matches seemed to mean the 42-year-old had the last laugh. But as he started off the field, he began to gesture toward the Strasbourg supporters.
The players at his former club took offense, and both sides quickly came together with pushing and shoving until Rosenior was separated from the pack. Again, he gestured enthusiastically, this time directing his fist pumps toward his own supporters.
It was a markedly different tone from the one he struck before the match.
"I have a lot to thank, the opportunity that I got in Strasbourg. We had an incredible experience there. Learned a lot from many different people," he said in his pre-match news conference. "A lot of very, very good people helped me when I was there, and I’m looking forward to seeing them tomorrow.
"You always want the job you’re in to be a success, and yeah, it hurt to leave a club so early when you feel you can make something very successful. It hurts anyone."
Rosenior and the Strasbourg fans might have Feb. 6, 2027 circled, with Paris FC set to visit Strasbourg's Stade de la Meinau in Ligue 1 play that day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tempers flare after ex-Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior taunts former supporters
