Saint-Etienne fans storm the pitch & throw smoke bombs after Ligue 1 relegation

A French relegation decider descended into a riot on Sunday when furious fans stormed the pitch, threw smoke bombs and caused police to move in after former champions Saint-Etienne were relegated by a penalty shootout.

The fallen giants suffered a wretched relegation when visitors Auxerre won 5-4 on penalties to ensure they would replace Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 – and hundreds of raging supporters charged onto the pitch immediately after captain Birama Toure scored the decisive spot kick.

Scary footage shows players racing off the turf and looking shaken in the tunnel as they try to escape the mob, with loud bangs and pyrotechnic flames scattering the grass at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, which has been a venue for football and rugby World Cup matches.

The outraged pitch invaders were heading for the presidential stand before being dispersed by police using tear gas amid 'total chaos', according to L'Equipe.

The outlet said that Roland Romeyer, the chairman of beleaguered Saint-Etienne's board, had buried his head under a cap and hidden his 'reddened' eyes behind glasses as he watched what it described as a 'disaster' unfold for the club.

Mahdi Camara had rescued a 1-1 draw for the hosts to make the two-legged play-off with the Ligue 2 side 2-2 on aggregate.

Ryad Boudebouz's spurned penalty left Auxerre, who finished third in Ligue 2, jubilant as Saint-Etienne were relegated for the first time since 2001 – but the troubling aftermath of the defeat cut their celebrations short.

A commentator for broadcasters BT Sport said: 'Individuals have been hit. This is a very disturbing sight and extremely sad to see.'

In a joint statement with fellow shareholder Bernard Caiazzo afterwards, Romeyer said: 'We will in a short while announce important news concerning the future of the club and our own.'

Top-flight football in France has been tainted by several riotous incidents at games this season including the abandonment of a Lyon game after former France midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle.

Lyon were docked a point and forced to play the rescheduled fixture behind closed doors while a man was also arrested and handed a six-month prison sentence alongside a ban from games.

Payet had previously been attacked on the pitch at Nice in August, and the derby between Lille and Lens was held up by 30 minutes while riot police dealt with a clash between sections of fans on the pitch.

The president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), Vincent Labrune, spoke out at the time to denounce fan violence as 'a gangrene that could kill us'.

The latest incident comes a day after the French sports ministry called an urgent meeting to 'draw lessons' from a fiasco before the Champions League final on Saturday.

The start of the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid had to be postponed by 30 minutes as fans feared for their safety while struggling to entered the Stade de France.

British sports minister Nigel Huddleston called for a 'full and urgent investigation' by French authorities and a video showed a nine-year-old wiping his eyes after being tear gassed.

A total of 68 people were arrested and 174 people were injured before the game but police refused to give further details.