Inside 102-year-old stadium unfit for Europe despite club’s incredible charge into Champions League spot
STRADE BRESTOIS are writing history this season under manager Eric Roy as they chase unlikely glory in France.
The Ligue 1 underdogs are currently in second position and on course to qualify for the Champions League – but their stadium will be unfit to hold any games if they do so.
GettyStrade Brestois’s 102-year-old stadium is unfit to hold Champions League games[/caption]
GettyBrest are currently second in Ligue 1 and are in line to compete in Europe next year[/caption]
GettyStadium Francis-Le Ble would need to undergo extensive work to hold European games next season[/caption]
While Brest are in the midst of a historic term, the club are aware their ground Francis-Le Ble would need to undergo work before being able to host matches in the Champions League.
The 102-year-old stadium in the western tip of France holds 15,931 spectators.
That is less than Brentford’s Community Stadium which holds 17,000 spectators but is still bigger than Bournemouth’s and Luton’s grounds.
But according to Le Telegramme, UEFA regulations have four categories of stadiums, and only category 4 can host Champions League games.
Currently, Francis-Le Ble is a category 2 which means it would only be allowed to host games in the 1st and 2nd qualifying rounds for the Champions League or games in the Europa Conference League.
It means Brest will need to find a temporary host for when they play in the Champions League.
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Brest – who have never finished above eighth – are one of the biggest surprises this season.
They have risen from mid-table to now possibly competing with the European elites.
They thrashed Strasbourg 3-0 on Saturday to hold their second spot in the table with 43 points in Ligue 1.
Only Paris Saint-Germain are ahead of them, holding a comfortable 11 point lead after 23 games.
Brest have equalled their record unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 14 games – a record which has stood since 1990.
Last season the club were battling it out in the bottom half of the table and luckily managed to avoid relegation after finishing 14th.
