March 19 – French Ligue 2 side Nimes will be relegated at the end of the season after the club’s former president Jean-Marc Conrad was found guilty of attempted match fixing, the French League (LFP) announced.
LFP disciplinary commission president Sebastien Deneux told a news conference that Conrad, who was handed a seven-year ban, tried to fix four Ligue 2 games as his club sought to stave off relegation last season.
The ruling followed a long investigation into several games played by Nimes last season but the club will now find themselves in the third tier of French football unless they successfully appeal the decision before the French federation (FFF).
“We are reproaching Conrad for having tried to fix some matches and defraud sporting ethics,” said Deneux. “This was a violation of morality.” Nimes’ main shareholder Serge Kasparian, meanwhile, was handed a 10-year ban.
“I am stunned. The club is sanctioned for the actions of its former president,” Nimes’ current president Christian Perdrier was quoted as saying.
The only way Nimes can avoid relegation, apart from appealing, is if they win promotion by finishing in the top three but that is unlikely given the number of points they would have to make up.
Nevertheless Perdrier told Infosport+ TV : “I’m going to tell the players that the best way to stay in the second division is to gain promotion to Ligue 1. We are going to appeal and we will fight until the end.”
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