Surprisingly 3rd in Ligue 1, the Breton club should qualify at least for a European Cup, which is 12 points ahead of the first non-European five days before the end of the championship.
Settle for 5,000 seats or play elsewhere
On March 22, Brest received a visit from UEFA inspectors, responsible for analyzing the stadium's capacity. It was questioned whether the club was capable of hosting international matches at its Francis Le Blé venue. Except that the regulations of the European body are clear: the presence of tubular stands is strictly prohibited for European Cup matches. And Brest did not obtain an exemption, its stadium having three tubular stands out of four.
These stands are built on metal pillars, which can be completely dismantled but are not dangerous. Article 18 of the UEFA regulations is strict: “the stands (…) cannot be based on tubular structures”. The body fears clashes, which could lead to dramatic circumstances.
Stade Brestois therefore has the choice of making do with these 5,000 seats, but the shortfall will be enormous for a club with a low budget. Another possibility: coach Eric Roy's men could emigrate to another stadium to avoid playing their matches in front of a majority of empty stands. Stade Rennais has already come forward to welcome their Breton counterparts, in their Roazhon Park enclosure and its… 30,000 seats.
