Last updated on .From the section European Football

Geronimi is president of the Corsica-based Ligue 1 club

Pierre-Marie Geronimi, president of French Ligue 1 side Bastia, has been placed in police custody as part of an investigation into the club's finances.

The investigation surrounds funding of an artificial pitch installed at the club's youth training ground and payments made to club partners, including a transport company.

Bastia are currently bottom of Ligue 1.

A club statement external-link confirmed Geronimi had appeared before the region's prosecutor in Corsica on Tuesday.

The club denied "any wrongdoing or irregular cash flow" relating to the artificial pitch's installation and said payments made for minibus hire to transport players to its training centre were "justified".

In November, Bastia's Brazilian striker Brandao was sentenced to one month in prison for breaking the nose of Paris St-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta.

The 34-year-old was also banned for six months for the incident, which took place in a Ligue 1 match in August.