FFR – French rugby disavows Bernard Laporte and comes out against the appointment of Patrick Buisson

French rugby, to whom Bernard Laporte had contacted at the start of the year to ask him to choose continuity, answered him. A small but sufficient majority of some 1,500 clubs questioned (with a participation rate of 90.46%) therefore answered no to the question: “Do you approve of Mr. Bernard Laporte’s proposal to appoint Mr. Patrick Buisson as President-Delegate of the FFR?”. The result fell at 12:25 p.m. on Thursday, about 25 minutes after the close of the consultation, which started on Monday.

Contacted by us at the end of last week, the Laporte clan said they were very confident of a favorable outcome. But that was before the announcement of Bernard Laporte’s custody on Tuesday for aggravated tax evasion laundering. An earthquake which, even if it lasted only a few hours and resulted in the free exit of the former coach of the XV of France, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office having not held any charge against him, certainly weighed in the vote .

And now ?

Bernard Laporte had opted for his withdrawal and the appointment of a deputy president to occupy his functions pending the final result of his two-year suspended prison sentence and two years of ineligibility, pronounced on December 13 and of which he appealed. Designation that he had submitted to the validation of amateur clubs. These having disavowed him, what consequences will he give to this snub?

From this Friday, a steering committee will be held in Marcoussis in the presence of the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who had clearly positioned herself in favor of a departure from Laporte in December. Will the latter propose a new candidate to whom he is close, as his clan had let us hear last week in the event of a non-majority? On the contrary, will he put his legitimacy at stake by organizing new federal elections, as his main opponent Florian Grill demands? The next 24 hours promise to be lively on the side of the FFR.