French football club Bastia failed in its "appeal against relegation to the French third division," having already been demoted once on "financial grounds" after finishing bottom of Ligue 1. Bastia was "condemned to the third tier by French football's financial watchdog" on June 22 and "pledged to offload players to balance the club's accounts." The club is understood to owe "various enterprises" around €15M ($17.1M). "The club is going to immediately appeal this decision," Bastia said in a brief statement (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 7/13).
League 1 rugby side South Wales Ironmen is "on the move again after a change of ownership." The Rugby Football League approved a takeover by Andrew Thorne, owner of fourth tier rugby side West Wales Raiders, which will see the "nomadic" South Wales Ironmen "move to Llanelli's Stebonheath Park with immediate effect." From next season, the club "will play under the West Wales Raiders name" (PA, 7/13).
Scottish National League rugby club Aberdeen Warriors announced it will fold after "seven successful seasons on the field" due to "lack of support" from league organizers. The club "struggled to maintain fixtures due to opposition sides failing to raise enough players due to the time required for the round-trip." The club was forced to close its youth sides two years ago (RUNNING RUGBY, 7/13).
