A FORMER top-flight European stadium has been left abandoned and overgrown.
The Stade des Costieres was the old home of French outfit Nimes Olympique.
The club played at the 18,364-capacity ground between 1989 and 2022.
The £133milllion stadium hosted the club for their two Ligue 1 seasons between 2018 and 2020.
It was designed by architects Marc Chausee and Vittorio Gregotti with the latter also being the man behind the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy.
Nimes moved into the ground in 1989 and played their first game there against Montcaeu in the French second division.
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However, the club left the stadium in 22 for a new modern transitional stadium, the 8,033-capcity Stade des Antonins.
In 2024, the city refused the owner Rani Assaf a permit to demolish the ground in order to build a new stadium on the site.
The club was reportedly hoping to return to the stadium in 2026 with it rebuilt.
However, due to the denial, the work has yet to commence on its renovation.
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RMC Sport have claimed that the stadium will become the property of the City of Nimes due to the end of a sales agreement.
The agreement is set to expire on December 31, but it is claimed that Assaf has not provided proof of funds.
This means that the stadium will become a municipal facility.
A recent video of the state of the ground has gone viral on social media.
The clip shows the pitch completely overgrown and roots coming through the concrete in the stands.
The current sports delegate for Nimes city hall, Nicolas Rainville, has claimed that the club will return to the ground.
He said: “I tell you and I confirm it to you, Nimes Olympique will play again in a Costières stadium renovated to Ligue 1 standards.”
Nimes currently play in the third division of French football, the Championnat National.
They are 12th in the division, having won three of their opening 12 fixtures to the season.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
