The announcement was expected: Florian Grill will also compete to take the presidency of the French Rugby Federation (FFR). Unsuccessful candidate in 2020 against Bernard Laporte, he announced on Saturday that he was presenting himself as leader of the opposition, after a general meeting of his movement “Ovale ensemble”.
“Ovale ensemble” will present a list of twelve women and men united under the same banner in the elections: “a natural and necessary candidacy for a new Federation”, specifies the movement in a press release. On this list are notably the ex-internationals Abdelatif Benazzi and Jean-Marc Lhermet, but also the former sevens rugby player Clémence Gueucier or Sylvain Deroeux, ex-captain of Perpignan and former president of Provale, the players’ union.
Election from May 24 to 26 for the steering committee
The approximately 1,900 rugby clubs in France are called upon to vote from May 24 to 26 to renew part of the FFR’s steering committee. “Twelve seats are indeed to be filled following the resignation of the members of the collective” Ovale Ensemble “and representatives of the LNR last January”, underlines the opposition.
“Thanks to the vigilance of the ethics committee, the election will take place in electronic form allowing all the clubs to choose first 12 new members for the Steering Committee and then, in a second time, a president or a president”, congratulates Oval Ensemble. Bernard Laporte having resigned at the end of January, after appealing his two-year suspended prison sentence, the election of his replacement at the head of the FFR will take place on June 12. His name will be known on June 14.
The majority line at the FFR, pro-Laporte, for its part presented its candidate on Thursday, Patrick Buisson, vice-president in charge of amateur rugby, former player in Vienne (Isère), educator then manager in Uzès (Gard). “If successful, Florian Grill’s first decision will be to entrust Patrick Buisson and a team that he can entirely choose, with the task of completing the organization of the World Cup (from September 8 to October 28 in France) and to follow its good progress”, specifies on the other hand the opposition.