French player talked down from bridge after suicide threat

A footballer from French club Nice has threatened to throw himself off a 100-metre high bridge.

The unnamed player reportedly drove to the Magnan Viaduct to the north-west of the city before pulling up on the hard shoulder and getting out of the vehicle.

According to RMC Sport and Nice-Matin, he was taken to safety by firefighters after several hours of negotiations involving police and a club psychologist.

A 6km traffic jam was said to have formed as a result of the incident, with access restricted to the scene.

Instant Foot quoted the player’s agent denying reports the suicide threat had been triggered by a break-up, saying: “This has absolutely nothing to do with it and is out of context.”

Nice cancelled their press conference with manager Francesco Farioli on Friday ahead of their top-of-the-table Ligue 1 game against leaders Brest on Sunday.

Jean-Pierre Rivère, the Nice chairman, provided an update on the player’s wellbeing on Friday afternoon, saying: “Above all, we are relieved that everything ended well today for the player.

“He was taken care of. We will continue to respect medical confidentiality and we ask everyone to do the same and respect their privacy. We are in his support as well as that of the entire club.”

Their opponents’ manager, Eric Roy, said at his own press conference: “I would like to give, as well as the entire club, my support to Nice with regard to the current events. I am hoping that it ends as well as possible. My heart goes out to them.”

Nice currently sit second behind Brest in Ligue 1 following three wins and three draws in their opening six matches.

After the most recent victory, in a derby meeting with Monaco, Farioli played down Nice’s title hopes, saying: “After six matchdays, we can’t allow ourselves to look at the table or to dream. We need to be happy with what we’ve done so far. Difficulties will await us. We have to anticipate them and know how to avoid them and continue to work, as we’ve done so far, perhaps even more. The risk when winning is to forget how you got those victories. It’s through sacrifice and lots of attention.”