Bastia face relegation threat over deficit

PARIS (Reuters) - French football club Bastia could be relegated from the country's top flight over a 1.3 million euros budget deficit after it failed to provide the necessary financial guarantees.

The National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), which monitors the accounts of professional clubs in France, ruled that Bastia would be denied their spot in Ligue 1 for the upcoming season over the issue.

The Corsican club, however, said it expected to resolve the matter following the sale of Ryan Boudebouz to Montpellier for 1.7 million euros.

Bastia said in a statement it would provide the DNCG appeals commission "in the coming hours with the bank details that prove Boudebouz was transferred".

Bastia finished 12th in Ligue 1 last season.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Peter Rutherford)