SC Bastia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bastia

Full name	Sporting Club Bastiais
Nickname(s)	I Turchini (The Blues), I Lioni di Furiani (The Lions of Furiani), Le Sporting (The Sporting), Les Bleus (The Blues)
Short name	SCB
Founded	1905; 120 years ago (1905)
Ground	Stade Armand-Cesari
Ground Capacity	16,048
President	Claude Ferrandi
Manager	Benoît Tavenot
League	Ligue 2
2021–22	Ligue 2, 12th of 20
Home colours Away colours

Sporting Club Bastia (also known as SC Bastia or just Bastia) is a professional football club from Bastia on the island of Corsica, France. The team plays in Ligue 2, which is the second-highest football league in France. They won the 2020–21 Championnat National to get there. Bastia plays its home games at the Stade Armand Cesari stadium in the city. The club is well-known for its strong connection to Corsican nationalism.

Bastia has had some great successes in its history. They reached the final of the 1977–78 UEFA Cup in 1978, but lost to the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven. In France, Bastia won the second division in 1968 and 2012. They also won the Coupe de France in 1981. When the club was first starting, it won the "Corsican League" 17 times! Bastia has a big rivalry with AC Ajaccio, and their games are called the Derby Corse.

Many famous players have played for Bastia. Some of these include Dragan Džajić, Claude Papi, Johnny Rep, Roger Milla, Michael Essien, Alex Song, Sébastien Squillaci, Jérôme Rothen, Antar Yahia, and Florian Thauvin.

In 2017, the club faced some financial problems. They were moved down to the Championnat National 3 league and lost their professional status. But I Turchini (The Blues) worked hard and got their professional status back in 2021 when they were promoted to Ligue 2.

Club History

How the Team Started

Sporting Club de Bastia staff in 1905.

Sporting Club de Bastia was created in 1905 by a Swiss teacher named Hans Ruesch. He taught German at a high school in Bastia. The first president of the club was Emile Brandizi. The club had its first celebration in Bastia's Place d'Armes, lit by a single gas lamp.

The club became professional in 1965, joining Division 2. After three good seasons, they won the French Second Division in 1968. This meant they moved up to the top league. Their first season there was tough, but they managed to stay in the league. This started what many consider the best decade in the club's history. In 1972, Bastia reached the final of the Coupe de France for the first time. They lost 2–1 to Olympique de Marseille. This win allowed them to play in the European Cup Winners' Cup, where they were knocked out by Atlético Madrid.

UEFA Cup Final in 1978 and French Cup Win in 1981

In 1977, Bastia finished third in Division 1. They had the best offense in the league, with the amazing Dragan Džajić as a left winger. This success qualified them for the UEFA Cup.

This was a special time for the team, built around their star player Claude Papi. The team also had many other talented players. These included Johnny Rep from the Netherlands, Jean-François Larios, a midfielder and French international, and Charles Orlanducci, a strong defender known as the "Lion of Vescovato".

Claude Papi in 1978.

Bastia beat teams like Sporting Lisbon, Newcastle United, Torino, Carl Zeiss Jena, and Grasshoppers Zurich. They reached the final but lost to PSV Eindhoven (0–0 at home, 0–3 away). One of their most memorable wins was a 3–2 victory in Turin. The "Toro" team had not lost at home for two seasons. In that game, Bastia scored one of their best goals, a volley from 22 meters by Jean-François Larios.

The final match had some bad luck. The first game was played at Furiani on 26 April 1978. Heavy rain had fallen, making the field very muddy and hard to play on. The referee decided to postpone the game because the World Cup in Argentina was coming up soon. Even though Bastia played well, the game ended in a 0–0 draw.

The second game of the final was on 9 May. PSV Eindhoven scored their first goal after just 24 minutes, and then two more goals later (3–0). People in Bastia believed the team lost because they were tired from playing too many league games (3 games in 6 days) before the final. The muddy field in the first game also made things harder.

This UEFA Cup run was a huge moment for Corsican sport. Bastia, a club from a city of only 40,000 people, showed that they could compete with big teams in European football. It also brought all of Corsica together, at a time when the Corsican nationalist movement was just beginning.

Three years after that final, Bastia won its first big trophy. They won the Coupe de France in 1981. This was a famous victory for the Corsican club. They beat St. Etienne, a team with the legendary player Michel Platini. The final was played at Parc des Princes in front of over 46,000 fans. Even the newly elected President of France, François Mitterrand, was there.

Moving Down and the Furiani Disaster

After 18 years in the top league, the club moved down to the second division at the end of the 1985–86 season. They stayed there for eight years. This time is remembered for the terrible Furiani disaster. In the 1991–92 season, the club reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. The match was at Stade Armand Cesari, also called "Furiani Stadium". They were playing against Olympique de Marseille, who were very strong. So many people wanted to watch that a temporary stand for 10,000 seats was quickly built. A few minutes before the game started, the upper part of this stand collapsed. This tragic event killed 18 people and injured 2,300.

Alex Song made his professional debut for Bastia in 2004.

Michael Essien made his professional debut for Bastia in 2000.

Back to the Top League and European Games

The club returned to the top league for the 1994–95 season. That year, they reached the final of the League Cup. This period was shaped by the work of Frédéric Antonetti. He coached the club and helped develop new talented players.

Antonetti coached the main team from 1994 to 2001. He helped bring in players like Lubomir Moravcik, Pierre-Yves André, Frédéric Née, Franck Jurietti, and Anto Drobnjak. Drobnjak was the club's top scorer in his third season. In the 1995–96 season, Drobnjak was also the second-highest scorer in the league with 20 goals.

In the 1996–97 season, Bastia finished 7th in Ligue 1. This meant they qualified for the Intertoto Cup. The club won the Intertoto Cup and then qualified for the UEFA Cup in the 1997–98 season. Bastia beat Benfica but then lost to Steaua Bucharest. This loss was disappointing because Bastia had played very well in both games. Bastia also qualified for the Intertoto Cup two more times, in 1998 and 2001, but they didn't make it to the UEFA Cup again.

After Antonetti left in 2001, the club didn't finish in the top ten again. However, they did reach the final of the Coupe de France in 2002. Their team included Michael Essien, who later played for famous clubs like Lyon and Chelsea. Another player who started at Bastia was the defender Alex Song, who later played for Arsenal and Barcelona.

Between 2002 and 2005, several coaches tried to lead Bastia. But none of them could get the team back into the top ten. The team's league position actually got worse each year. Even with international players like Tony Vairelles, Florian Maurice, Franck Silvestre, Lilian Laslandes, and Cyril Jeunechamp, they struggled.

In the middle of the 2004–05 season, the club was in danger of moving down. Bastia signed Christian Karembeu, who was part of France's 1998 World Cup-winning team. But Bastia was still moved down to Ligue 2 at the end of the season. They had been in Ligue 1 for 11 years in a row.

The Fall and Rise

In 2005, the club was moved down to Ligue 2. Five years later, Bastia was in serious danger of falling even further, into the Championnat National. On 7 May 2010, Bastia was officially moved down to the National league. This happened after a 0–0 draw with Tours in their 37th game of the Ligue 2 season.

On 6 July 2010, the club faced more trouble. Due to financial problems, they were moved down again to the Championnat de France amateur by the DNCG (the French football financial control body). The club had a debt of €1.2 million. Local governments helped cover this debt. On 23 July 2010, the French Football Federation allowed Bastia to play in the 2010–11 season.

Even with these problems before the season, Bastia did well with new players. They also saw some players leave, like Florent Ghisolfi and Christophe Gaffory, while Pierre-Yves André retired.

The Climb Back to Ligue 2

Faruk Hadžibegić was fired as manager after poor results. Frédéric Hantz then took over. On 22 April 2011, Bastia officially earned its place back in Ligue 2 after a game against Frejus-Saint Raphael. About 500 fans traveled to support them. On 7 May 2011, Bastia became the National champion. They won against Créteil by 2 goals to one. Bastia finished with a record 91 points and didn't lose any home games all season. The game was tied at halftime, but Idrissa Sylla scored in the 92nd minute, giving Bastia the win in an exciting atmosphere. After the match, fans rushed onto the field at Armand Cesari to celebrate with their players and coach, Frédéric Hantz.

Jérôme Rothen won Ligue 2's best player award in 2011–12. Bastia also won team of the year and was promoted to Ligue 1 that season.

Return to Ligue 1

Bastia, newly promoted from the National league, welcomed new players like Jérôme Rothen, Toifilou Maoulida, François Marque, Ludovic Genest, and Florian Thauvin. Bastia started the season well, though they slowed down a bit in the autumn. From early February to early April, Bastia didn't lose a single match. On 23 April 2012, in a packed Stade Armand Cesari, Bastia almost secured their spot in the top league by beating Châteauroux (2–1). On 1 May 2012, Bastia became champion of Ligue 2. This was 44 years after their first and only league title. They won against Metz at Armand Cesari. On 11 May 2012, Bastia won their last home game of the season 2–1 against Nantes. The goals were scored by Jérôme Rothen and David Suarez. The club also had an amazing two-year streak of not losing at home. Bastia became one of the few teams in Europe to be undefeated at home for such a long time.

Bastia won all the major awards for Ligue 2 that year. Jérôme Rothen was named best player, Macedo Novaes best goalkeeper, and Frédéric Hantz best coach. Five Bastia players were also chosen for the team of the year.

In the 2016–17 Ligue 1 season, after four seasons in the top division, Bastia finished last in Ligue 1. This meant they were moved down to Ligue 2.

Financial Troubles and Climb Back to Professional Football

On 22 June 2017, Bastia was moved down again to the Championnat National. This happened because the DNCG found that the club had financial problems and couldn't guarantee they had enough money to play in Ligue 2. In August 2017, the club's professional section was closed due to bankruptcy. Local business owners Claude Ferrandi and Pierre-Noël Luiggi took over the club. They restarted the club with its reserve team in Championnat National 3. After a tough first season, the club started winning promotions year after year. They moved up to the Championnat National 2 in the 2018–19 season. Then, they were promoted to the Championnat National in the 2019–20 season. This was because they were at the top of their league when the season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bastia achieved their third promotion in a row by winning the 2020–21 Championnat National.

Return to Professional Football

SC Bastia returned to professional football in the 2021–22 Ligue 2 season, for the first time since their financial problems in 2017. They had a difficult start to the season. Their manager, Mathieu Chabert, was fired on September 22nd after a 2-1 loss to Valenciennes. Bastia was 18th in the league at that time. The club then hired Régis Brouard on October 2, 2021. He guided the team to a comfortable 12th place finish in the middle of the league table.

In the next season, the club had an up-and-down first half. But they had a very strong second half, and Régis Brouard led the club to a 4th place finish. For a long time, they were even in the running for promotion to the top league. Fans had high hopes for promotion the following season. However, the club had a difficult first half of the season again, being 15th at the halfway point. Just like before, coach Régis Brouard was fired on January 29th after a 3-1 loss to Valenciennes. Reserve team coach Michel Moretti and assistant coach Lillian Laslandes took over as temporary coaches. They guided the team to a 13th place finish.

On March 26, 2024, the club announced that Frédéric Antonetti would return as Technical Director. He would be in charge of the main team's sports policy, as well as the youth and reserve teams. Then, on June 5, Benoit Tavenot was named the first team coach for the 2024–25 Ligue 2 season. He also returned to SC Bastia.

Stadium

Stade Armand Cesari.

Stade Armand Cesari, also known as Stade Furiani, is the main football stadium in Corsica. It is located in Furiani and is where SC Bastia plays its home games. In 1992, the stadium hosted the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. During that match, a temporary grandstand collapsed, which sadly killed 18 people and injured nearly 3,000.

The stadium was old and not very safe (it had barbed wire around the field and old stands). But it still hosted the 1978 UEFA Cup Final. At that time, the stadium had less than 12,000 seats. Heavy rain had fallen that day, making the field very muddy. This made the important match difficult, and it ended in a 0–0 draw. The record attendance at the stadium was on 1 September 2012. On that day, 15,505 people watched Bastia lose to St. Etienne (0–3) in a league game. The second highest attendance was in 1978, when 15,000 people watched Bastia draw against PSV Eindhoven (0–0) in the UEFA Cup final.

Logos

• 

  Logo used from 2011 to 2024
• 

  Current logo

Colours and Badge

For the 2011–12 season, the club decided to change its logo. Here's why:

• The name "SCB" was replaced with "Bastia" because it's the city's club.
• The new shield has a moor's head, which is from the historic 1978 jersey and the Testa Mora Flag.
• The design also looks like the club's logo from the 1970s, when the club was very successful.
• Blue is the main colour, with white edges and black. These have been the club's official colours since 1992.

Supporters

Bastia has many supporters among Corsicans. Their fans often show symbols of Corsican nationalism, like using the local language and symbols. They also support the idea of the island being independent. The fans are known as the Turchini, which means "Blues" in Corsican.

The fans have rivalries with most teams from mainland France. However, their biggest rivals are Nice, and their games are called the Derby de la Mediterranée. This derby can also refer to rivalries with Marseille and Monaco. They also have a rivalry with the Parisian club PSG because of political tensions between the capital and Corsica.

Another big rivalry is the Corsican derby with other teams from the island, like AC Ajaccio and Gazélec Ajaccio. They compete to see who is the best team on the island.

Honours

Domestic Trophies

• Ligue 2
  • Winners: 1967–68, 2011–12
• Championnat National
  • Winners: 2010–11, 2020–21
• Coupe de France
  • Winners: 1980–81
  • Runners-up: 1971–72, 2001–02
• Coupe de la Ligue
  • Runners-up: 1994–95, 2014–15
• Trophée des champions
  • Winners: 1972
• Corsica Championship
  • Winners (17): 1922, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1959, 1962, 1963

Continental Trophies

• UEFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 1977–78
• Intertoto Cup
  • Champions: 1997

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 2 MF Christ Ravynel Inao Oulaï 3 DF Juan José Guevara (on loan from Fortaleza) 4 DF Anthony Roncaglia 5 MF Julien Maggiotti 6 DF Dominique Guidi 7 MF Christophe Vincent 9 FW Félix Tomi 10 MF Amine Boutrah 11 FW Lamine Cissé 13 MF Tom Ducrocq 14 MF Loïc Etoga 15 MF Florian Bohnert 16 GK Anthony Maisonnial 17 DF Zakaria Ariss

No. Position Player 19 MF Mattéo Loubatières 20 MF Mamadou Soumahoro 21 FW Mohamed Boumaaoui 22 DF Charles Traoré 23 GK Julien Fabri 24 DF Tom Meynadier 25 FW Clément Rodrigues 27 FW Lisandru Tramoni (on loan from Pisa) 28 DF Gustave Akueson 29 DF Steevy Mazikou 30 GK Johny Placide 42 DF Dylan Tavares 66 MF Jocelyn Janneh

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player — DF Loup-Diwan Gueho (on loan at Lechia Gdańsk)

No. Position Player — DF Yllan Okou (on loan at Hellas Verona)

Top Players by Appearances

These are the players who have played the most games for SC Bastia:

Last update: 7 March 2017.
Note: Bold represents current players.

Top Scorers

These players have scored the most goals for SC Bastia:

French International Players

These players played for the French national team while at Bastia:

Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Manager	Benoit Tavenot
Assistant Managers	Michel Moretti Lilian Laslandes
Goalkeeper Coach	Dominique Agostini
Fitness Coaches	Jean Akakpo Tom Le Rhun
Video Analyst	Hugo Hantz
Doctors	Francois Brochet Roger Laurenzi
Physiotherapists	Lise Betton Stephane Viale
Osteopath	Jean-Christophe Guidicell

See also

In Spanish: Sporting Club Bastiais para niños