• Bernard Laporte has officially resigned as president of the French Rugby Federation.

  • The steering committee, meeting Friday morning in Marcoussis, would have decided to remain in office, and this against the advice of the Minister of Sports.

  • For their part, members of the opposition have announced their resignation from the FFR's steering committee and speak of a "putsch" by the Laporte clan.

And a new crisis at the Rugby Federation, one!

While the steering committee of the FFR, meeting Friday morning in Marcoussis to decide on the follow-up to be given to the "no" in the referendum on Thursday, recorded the resignation of Bernard Laporte, he would have decided on the other hand to cling to his power.

Indeed, while the Minister of Sports, present at the start of the steering committee, had called for his resignation in order to put an end to the institutional crisis following the conviction of Bernard Laporte as soon as possible, the clan of the former president would have chosen to rely on article 21 which provides for the appointment of an interim president pending the GA scheduled for next June.



If this decision is not yet official, the "codir" being still in progress at the time of writing these lines, the elected representatives of the opposition to the steering committee of the FFR (of which Florian Grill is the leader) , in favor of the general resignation of all its members and the holding of new general elections within six weeks (article 15), for their part announced their resignation on Friday morning.

They also chose to leave the meeting in Marcoussis.

"We cannot condone this hold-up, which is a kind of diktat on French rugby," said Florian Grill when he left the steering committee in comments reported by

L'Equipe

.


Florian Grill came out to announce the resignation of all the elected opposition members.

Supporters of Bernard Laporte have chosen to appoint an interim president, and have ruled out a collective resignation.

And therefore new general elections.

— Romain Baheux (@RBaheux) January 27, 2023

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French rugby has hit rock bottom but is still digging

“They want to decide among themselves on an interim president, from the federal office, who will have to manage without legitimacy, without going through the ballot box, the federation until June.

It is not respectful of the vote which was expressed by the referendum.

I regret that the word of the clubs is not respected, he added.

It is a form of putsch, a denial of democracy.

I thought that the elected members of the steering committee would have more of a sense of responsibility and of the honor of rugby.

I am very disappointed for rugby with this attitude which lacks dignity.

»

By resigning with his supporters, the leader of Ovale Ensemble, an opposition association to the current governance of the FFR, Florian Grill explains that he wants to put the other members of the steering committee “before their responsibilities.

Eight months before the Rugby World Cup in France, keeping the steering committee in office, against the advice of the Minister of Sports, the opposition list and the majority of the country's clubs, would only aggravate an already hairy crisis at the head of the FFR.

The worst part is that it doesn't even surprise us anymore.


Sport

Resignation of Bernard Laporte: End clap to the FFR, the Minister of Sports calls on the "codir" to do the same

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FFR: "A strong desire to turn the page", reacts Florian Grill after the snub inflicted on the Laporte clan

  • Rugby

  • Sport

  • Bernard Laporte

  • FFR

  • Rugby World Cup 2023