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| Full name | Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Le Gaz (The Gas) Le Bistrot (The Bistro)[1] I diavuli rossi (The Reds Devils) Les Gaziers (The Gasmen) |
| Founded | 1910; 114 years ago (1910) |
| Ground | Stade Ange Casanova |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Owner | Louis Poggi |
| Chairman | Louis Poggi |
| Manager | Jean-Marie Ferri |
| League | Régional 2 |
| 2022–23 | National 3 Group D, 14th of 14 (relegated) |
| Website | Club website |
Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio (Corsican: Gazélec Football Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec (French: [ɡazelɛk]), is a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1910, Gazélec played one season in Ligue 1 in the 2015–16 season. As of the 2023–24 season, it competes in the Régional 2, the seventh tier of the French football league system.
The club was founded in 1960 as result of the merger of two small Ajaccio clubs, Football Club Ajaccien (commonly known as FC Ajaccio), founded in 1930 and Gazélec Corse Club, founded in 1910.
Gazélec reached the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Coupe de France, while playing in the third-tier Championnat National. They hosted home games in the later rounds at the larger Stade François Coty, home of AC Ajaccio.[2]
On 15 May 2015, Gazélec were promoted to Ligue 1 for the first time in the club's history, following a 3–2 win over Niort with two goals by John Tshibumbu. It was their second consecutive promotion and fourth in five years. The team started off the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season as one of the smallest teams to compete in the division's history.[3] They were instantly relegated, in 19th place.[4] In June 2019, the club were relegated to the third tier after a play-off loss to Le Mans.[5] They were relegated again at the end of the truncated 2019–20 Championnat National season, after being in the relegation places when the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] In 2021, they suffered administrative relegation to the fifth-tier Championnat National 3 for financial reasons.[7][8]
On 20 December 2022, following the initiation of criminal proceedings against its president of two months, receivership proceedings were commenced by the commercial court of Ajaccio.[9] On 23 January 2023 the club appeared at the commercial court again, where a decision to liquidate it was tabled, under advisement for one week.[10] A week later, the court confirmed the decision, leading to the suspension of the two senior teams of the club from Championnat National 3 and Régional 2, and their results for the season being expunged.[11] On 13 July 2023, the French Football Federation decided that Gazélec Ajaccio could participate in the upcoming season's Régional 2.[12]
The club had rivalries with the other two Corsican professional clubs: SC Bastia and AC Ajaccio, the latter one playing the Ajaccio Derby with Gazélec. For many years, Gazélec played in a lower division than their city rivals. The side also had a rivalry with another smaller club on the island, FC Borgo, a club formed when CA Bastia and Borgo FC merged.[13][14][15][16]
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