Le Mans officially promoted to Ligue 1, Bastia relegated to Ligue 3
The LFP disciplinary committee officially validated Le Mans’ 2-0 victory over Bastia this Wednesday evening, confirming Le Mans’ promotion to Ligue 1. Following stadium disturbances, the Corsican club, now relegated to Ligue 3, also received a penalty of two matches played behind closed doors, with an additional match suspended.
The Professional Football League’s (LFP) disciplinary committee, convening this Wednesday evening, upheld Le Mans’ 2-0 triumph against Bastia, a result originally secured on the pitch last Saturday during the 34th round of Ligue 2. The match was halted with mere seconds remaining when referee Ruddy Buquet directed players off the field to protect them from flares and firecrackers thrown from the stands.
Play never resumed, but the league’s disciplinary body, following a swift review, predictably ratified the scoreline. This outcome propels Le Mans into Ligue 1 and sends Bastia down to Ligue 3, the professional division set to replace the National league next season.
Bastia avoids point deduction
The Corsican club also received a sanction of two home matches at Stade Armand-Cesari to be played behind closed doors, with an additional match suspended. Crucially, they avoided a one-point deduction for the upcoming season, a penalty that had loomed. Bastia had been operating under a suspended sentence following prior disturbances less than six months ago. On December 5th, the Bastia-Red Star fixture was definitively abandoned just before the hour mark after a flare was thrown onto the pitch from the Bastia supporters’ section.
That projectile had struck the back of a Red Star player, Bradley Danger. Consequently, the Corsican club forfeited that match (which was 0-0 when interrupted) and also incurred a suspended one-point deduction.
This suspended penalty was ultimately not activated. Sébastien Deneux, president of the LFP disciplinary committee, clarified, “Generally, a point deduction is applied when a match participant is directly impacted. This was not the situation during the Bastia-Le Mans encounter. Therefore, in our assessment, there was no basis to revoke that suspended sentence.”
