For the first time since the resumption of sports competitions in France and despite the circulation of the coronavirus in France, a football match will be able to accommodate more than 5,000 people this Thursday evening in Bastia.

A derogation that places a lot of responsibility on the Corsican club, explains the president of Sporting club Bastia on Europe 1

It's a tour de force: the Sporting club bastiais will be able to accommodate at the Armand-Cesari stadium 6,500 spectators this Thursday evening during the match between the Corsican club in Boulogne, for the third day of National.

This exemption was granted after long discussions by the prefecture of Haute-Corse, while any gathering of more than 5,000 people is supposed to be prohibited, due to the still active circulation of the coronavirus.

President Claude Ferrandi knows that he will be watched by all of France in football ... "There is pressure, but it is on both sides. It is on the side of the prefecture because there is a responsibility that is taken and they say: 'I trust the club' ", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.

>> LIVE -

 Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Thursday, September 3

"The prefect in hand"

"It is up to us now to restore this confidence and to ensure that we have done what was necessary and that we are not going to run any additional risk in relation to this exemption", continues Claude Ferrandi.

"Once again, the prefect, today, he has the hand to be able to increase the gauge and pass to 6,500, but he has quite the hand to say that the next match will be played behind closed doors", recalls the president of the Sporting club bastiais.

To avoid a future closed session, the club has planned everything: awareness message in the pre-match, at half-time, respect for social distancing, wearing of the compulsory mask in the stands and regulation of flows at the end of the match. with one grandstand exit ...

>> Find all the newspapers of the editorial staff of Europe 1 in replay and podcast here

Exemptions granted for certain rugby matches

On Twitter, the deputy Sacha Houlié, who had led with the former Minister of Sports Marie-George Buffet a fact-finding mission on stadium bans and supporterism, called for an extension of the number of exemptions, because new ones were issued by Prefects for rugby matches.

For example, the match between Clermont and Toulouse, which will close the first day of the Top 14 on Sunday, could be watched by 10,000 supporters in the ASM Marcel-Michelin Stadium.

Exemptions from the 5,000-seat gauge have just been granted by Prefects for rugby matches.



It is to be greeted!



But no one would understand that the same requests for other sporting events are not granted, starting with football!

- Sacha Houlié (@SachaHoulie) September 3, 2020

"It is to be welcomed! But no one would understand that the same requests for other sporting events are not granted, starting with football!"

explains Sacha Houlié on social networks.