| Stade Armand-Cesari | |
|---|---|
| Stade de Furiani | |
| Location | BP 640, Furiani, France |
| Opened | 1932 |
| Owner | Communauté d'agglomération de Bastia |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 10,460 |
| Field dimensions | 105m x 68m |
| Tenants | |
| SC Bastia | |
Stade Armand-Cesari is a multi-purpose stadium in Bastia, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches of SC Bastia. The stadium is able to hold 10,460 people and opened in 1932.[1]
It was the venue of the first leg of the 1978 UEFA Cup Final, which saw a 0-0 tie between SC Bastia and the Dutch-side PSV Eindhoven. Eventually, PSV won the Final with a 3-0 victory in their home Philips Stadion.
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The stadium is mostly known for the Furiani disaster, which took place on the 5th of May 1992 when one of the four terraces fell, causing the death of 18 persons and injuring more than 2,300 others.
After a road to the semi-final of the Coupe de France 1991-92, the draw gave Bastia a match against Olympique de Marseille, the Division 1 leader at the time.
In order to receive more fans, the club board decided to create a temporary terrace instead of the Old Tribune Claude Papi which could only contain 750 fans. The new capacity of the terrace was 10,000. (Total of the stadium : 18,000)
One hour before the start of the match, problems were already noticeable, such as the instability of the structure.
At 8:20 p.m., the whole structure collapsed, with supporters and journalists in the wreckage. Every medical option on the island was exhumed. The victims were eventually evacuated to the mainland, incluidng Marseille. The Poretta Airport was quoted as resembling more of a hospital than an airport that night.
On the 8th May, an instruction begins in order to prove the responsibilities of anyone.
After the disaster, the FFF decided -not without hesitations- to cancel the remaining matches in the Cup.
On the 12th, the investigators made the conclusions that lots of infractions to the rules have been committed concerning the terrace (on its construction, on the attitude of the sports and administration executives and on the cost of the tickets).
All these constatations lead to the conclusion of the investigation "Le soir du 5 mai, il n'y a pas eu de fatalité . (There has been no fate the night of the 5th May)".
Ultimately, on the trial a year later, the main protagonists were proved guilt but were only condemned to less than 2-years of jail.
Since the Disaster, the Stadium is in a long wait of being rebuilt. The Tribune Nord has been rebuilt in 1997, before Bastia could play again in a European Cup (1997–98 UEFA Cup).
For the 100th anniversary of the club, the for terraces have been renamed :
- North Terrace : Tribune Claude Papi
- East Terrace : Tribune Jojo Petrignani
- South Terrace : Tribune Victor Lorenzi
- West Terrace : Tribune Pierre Cahuzac
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