Corsica: thirty years ago, the stand of the Furiani stadium collapsed

Published on: 21/10/2022 – 17:06 On May 5, 1992, Sporting Club Bastia hosted Olympique de Marseille at the Armand-Cesari stadium in Furiani. A day of celebration for football fans that turned into a nightmare. Less than ten minutes before the start of the match, the top of the metal stand installed to double the capacity of the stadium collapsed. Spectators fall 15 meters. Several hundred of them find themselves trapped under a tangle of metal. Result: 19 dead and more than 2,300 injured. Thirty years later, Annabel Lecouffe-Robaglia, Florie Castaingts and Thierry Derouet went to meet survivors and the families of victims. For the Coupe de France semi-final against Marseille, the Armand-Cesari stadium, located in the south of Bastia, had seen its capacity double, from 9,000 to 18,000 seats. In just one week, a huge metal stand had been built to accommodate the many supporters attracted by this clash between the second division Corsican club and Olympique de Marseille, then dashing leader of the first division. Even before the start of the meeting, several security officials are worried about the behavior of the stand, which rests on wooden wedges and unsealed breeze blocks. And while the public begins to take their seats, the workers are still tightening bolts because the structure is unstable. The trial of the disaster will open two and a half years later. The builder of the stand and officials of the club and the Corsican Football League are condemned. The maximum sentence imposed is two years in prison. Most convictions will be reduced on appeal. Thirty years later, have the wounds healed? Have safety standards changed?