Stade Petit Sory

The ground opened on November 10, 2021, with the intention of creating a modern facility for the city's oldest club, Hafia FC. The decision to build here, in the Nongo neighborhood, placed the club in a residential area rather than the city centre, a choice that has defined its identity since.

The architecture is functional, with concrete staircases cutting through the stand to provide access to the upper tier. There are no arches or stone facades, only the clean lines of steel and glass. The VIP rooms are tucked away in small concrete structures along the side, distinct from the main seating area. The changing rooms are international standard, a requirement for the higher tiers of the Ligue 1.

The atmosphere here is shaped by the proximity of the stands to the field. The wind sweeps straight across the pitch, carrying the sound of the crowd from one end to the other. It is a quiet ground in the daytime, but it has hosted moments that have silenced the city, including a match where the title was decided in the final minutes. The history between the club and the ground is short, but the structure itself was built to last, unlike the temporary stands that have housed the club in previous decades. The capacity is a subject of debate, with figures ranging from 5,400 to 20,000, but the visible seating confirms a more modest number. The ground does not claim to be a temple of football; it is a place of work, where the players perform on a surface that reflects the precision of its construction.