30 years ago, Corsica bereaved by the tragedy of Furiani

It had to be an event. On May 5, 1992, the Bastia club reached the semi-final of the Coupe de France and faced Marseille at Furiani, the club’s stadium. The Corsican leaders wanted to double the capacity of the stadium for the occasion: a metal stand was built specially to accommodate 10,000 people. The public settles in, the atmosphere rises and the structure gradually shows signs of weakness. Fifteen minutes before kick-off, the announcer calls on the supporters to calm down. During the match, the upper part of the stand collapsed. More than 3,000 people fell 15 meters. Quickly, the actors of the match understand that a tragedy has just occurred. Furiani’s lawn is transformed into a makeshift hospital. 19 people died, more than 2,300 others were injured.

Three years after the tragedy, a trial opened in Bastia to understand the course of the events this evening of May 5, 1992. A defendant was missing: the president of the club at the time of the events. He had been assassinated a week before the debates. Among the 13 people to appear, the prefect of Haute-Corse, president of the security commission, was released. There was only one prison sentence: a two-year sentence against the engineer of the gallery. 30 years later, the memory remains vivid: that of the worst disaster in French sport.