Bastia (France) (AFP) – Rui Almeida has replaced Francois Ciccolini as coach of struggling Ligue 1 club Bastia. Portuguese Almeida, sacked by Ligue 2's Red Star in December, takes over a club which lies second from bottom of France's first division, just one point off bottom team Lorient. His first match in charge will be at […]

Paris (AFP) – French Ligue 1 side Bastia were punished Thursday over racist abuse directed at Nice striker Mario Balotelli in a game last month. The French league's disciplinary commission docked Bastia one point – suspended – and ordered the club to close its East Stand for the next three home games over the monkey […]

Bastia (France) (AFP) – "Several" Bastia fans racially abused Nice forward Mario Balotelli with monkey chants while one admitted it and faces a France-wide stadium ban, the Corsican club said on Wednesday. The Italian said he suffered racist abuse throughout Friday's 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at Bastia, where the coach of title-chasers Nice was also […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – Angry Nice striker Mario Balotelli accused Bastia fans of racially abusing him and screaming monkey chants throughout Friday's 1-1 Ligue 1 draw in Corsica. "Yesterday the result against Bastia was right... We will do more work to try to get our objective. The referee was good too," Balotelli wrote on his […]

Bastia (France) (AFP) – French title hopefuls Nice edged provisionally a point clear of Monaco but were Friday lamenting the loss of two points in a 1-1 draw at lowly Bastia. The match was marred by an ugly incident beforehand when police reported some Bastia fans stoned the Nice team bus, breaking two windows, as […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain got their French Cup defence off to a dream start on Saturday with new recruit Julian Draxler scoring in a 7-0 rout of Ligue 1 rivals Bastia. Unai Emery's side advance to the last 32 of a tournament in which they are the two-time defending champions ensuring their Corsican rivals […]

Paris (AFP) – Layvin Kurzawa scored a second-half winner as four-time reigning French champions Paris Saint-Germain began the defence of their Ligue 1 crown with an unconvincing 1-0 victory at Bastia on Friday. Unai Emery's side demolished Lyon 4-1 last weekend in the Champions Trophy, but PSG were forced to wait until the 73rd minute […]

Paris (AFP) – Bastia's Brazilian striker Brandao was last month given a five-month suspended prison sentence and a 20,000-euro ($22,859) fine on appeal for his 2014 headbutt on Paris Saint-Germain's Thiago Motta, judicial sources revealed on Wednesday. Brandao, 35, was initially condemned to one month in prison by a Paris court along with the 20,000-euro […]

Brazilian striker Brandao has been handed a one-month jail sentence along with a £16,000 fine for headbutting Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta. The Bastia player had already been given a six-month ban by the Ligue de Football Professionnel for an incident which took place at the Parc des Princes on August 16th. After his side's […]