The Costières stadium, which hosted Nîmes Olympique matches between 1989 and 2022, has been abandoned since the departure of the Crocos. If the club's idea was to demolish and rebuild the enclosure, nothing is changing and the situation will not be able to change before January 1, 2025.
The pitch at the Costières stadium no longer really resembles that of a club that played in Ligue 1. The media Objectif Gard shared a video of the enclosure this Sunday, where the vegetation has taken over. The site has been abandoned for many months due to a conflict between the town hall of Nîmes and Rani Assaf, the president of Nîmes Olympique.
In National in this 2024-2025 season, Nîmes Olympique has been playing since December 2022 at the Antonins stadium, which was to ensure the transition. Initially, the club hoped to return in 2026 to a rebuilt Costières stadium, except that the planned work has still not started.
The stadium soon to be renovated by the city?
“You know the difficulties we have in communicating with the leader,” summarized the first deputy mayor in recent months when the city wanted to know the intentions of Rani Assaf. The latter had signed a sales agreement with the city which runs until December 31 but the funds have not been provided. At the end of this deadline, the stadium will clearly become the property of the city again, which will be able to “rehabilitate” it to bring it up to LFP standards.
To demolish and rebuild the Costières stadium, Rani Assaf must also present a building permit. The city refused the Crocos boss' request more than a year ago, following the unfavorable opinion given by the national commercial development commission due to the ambitious commercial project carried by Assaf. Although an appeal has been filed, it has still not been examined by the courts.
On January 1, the Costières stadium could therefore once again become a municipal facility. “I tell you and I confirm it to you, Nîmes Olympique will play again in a Costières stadium renovated to Ligue 1 level standards,” recently promised former referee Nicolas Rainville, current sports delegate at Nîmes town hall.
