Paris (AFP)
The French Rugby Federation presented for the 2019-2020 financial year a positive financial report of 411,000 euros despite an operating deficit of 3.46 million on an operating budget of 98.6 million euros, announced the instance Friday in a statement.
In a long document published on Friday and presented to its executive committee, the FFR details as well as the Covid-19 had a negative impact on operating income of 2.5 million euros, due in particular to the postponement of the match between France and Ireland, the last day of the 2020 Six Nations Tournament, the cancellation of the French stage of the world Sevens rugby circuit, as well as the cessation of the season or seminars.
"The positive result underlines the ability of the FFR to adapt to an unforeseen situation created by this context of particularly violent health crisis for French rugby," said Alexandre Martinez, the treasurer of the FFR.
The first part of the recovery plan for amateur rugby, of 35 million in total, also affected this result to the tune of 5.64 million and allowed, according to the document of the Federation, to redirect 8.8 million euros towards the clubs.
According to the document, the FFR's own funds stand at 32.8 million euros for the 2019/2020 season against 32.4 in 2018/2019 and the cash position increased by two million over the same period to amount to 68 million.
One month before the elections for the presidency of the Federation, scheduled for October 3, the opposition denounces "a new sleight of hand", deploring "a fourth deficit in a row"
"To achieve this sleight of hand, it artificially compensates for its losses with financial income from previous years and investment income from the cash flow of the insurance fund normally dedicated to seriously injured people," said Florian Grill, head list against Bernard Laporte in October.
"We should also note that the current governance voluntarily omits to account for the loss of the 2023 World Cup public interest group, which amounts to 3.7 million euros, and for which it bears the accounting and legal responsibility for 62 % ", adds Grill.
© 2020 AFP