Paris (AFP)

The president of the French Rugby Federation Bernard Laporte, implicated for supposed pressure, affirmed that "the file is empty", Thursday, the day after the end of his hearing by the national financial prosecutor.

"I approached these + interviews + with serenity. When you have nothing to be ashamed of, you have the force of truth with you. It has been almost 3 years that I waited to enlighten the investigators on a file whose content was not accessible to me, "Laporte explained in a long message posted on his Facebook account.

"The dialogue with the investigators will have finished convincing me. Despite extensive investigations, with colossal means, press campaigns constantly rehashing the same theories ...: the file is empty. There is nothing concrete. Calculations, interpretations, scenarios ... The mountain is going to give birth to a mouse ", he added.

The boss of French rugby, suspected of having used his influence in favor of Montpellier, the club of Mohed Altrad, also sponsor of the Blues, was heard for two days by the Brigade for the repression of economic delinquency (BRDE), just like the director general of the Mondial-2023 Claude Atcher, two senior officials of the Federation, Serge Simon and Nicolas Hourquet, and Mohed Altrad.

Laporte, 56, is suspected of having favored Montpellier (Top 14) by intervening with the FFR's appeal committee to reduce sanctions against the club at the end of June 2017.

He has always defended himself, even if he admitted to having telephoned the president of the commission, Jean-Daniel Simonet on June 30, 2017.

"This wave will only have been in the media. With less than ten days before our deadline, I am entitled to ask myself the question of the opportunity. Who could benefit from the storm? Now knowing the axes of the investigation, I am more serene than ever, ”said the former coach.

This police custody took place about ten days before the elections for the presidency of the federation, where the former secretary of state for sports (2007-2009) is seeking a second term.

Scheduled for October 3, they pit Bernard Laporte against his main opponent Florian Grill.

"Communication strategies, media traps ... all this does not affect me! I am focused on my responsibility," said Laporte, before ensuring that he wanted to be world champion in 2021 (with the XV female) and in 2023 (with the male XV).

© 2020 AFP