The Toulouse Stadium, holding the title, has been declared loser on green carpet. The club was stretching, however, to play, despite the contaminations at SARS-COV2 in its ranks, starting with Antoine Dupont.
Le Monde with AFP
Misunderstanding in the ranks of French rugby. Evoking the sanitary risk related to the CVIV-19 pandemic, the organizer of the European Cup decided on Friday 21 January, to cancel the Toulouse-Cardiff match and to declare the holding of the title losing on green carpet. The Toulousain stadium was however able to play, despite a significant number of contaminations in its ranks.
The Captain of the XV of France, Antoine Dupont, is one of the positive controlled Toulouse players at the SARS-COV2, confirmed Friday the club president, Didier Lacroix.
The sports consequences of this decision are not negligible for Toulouse. Before the start of the fourth and last day of the chicken phase, the quintuple Champion of Europe, given 28-0 on green carpet, no longer has his fate in his hands. Success of its rivals of Pool B, including Castres and Wasps in Harlequins and Munster, two teams already qualified, could deprive them of the rounds of final.
a decision “completely unacceptable” / h2>
Furious, the President of the Toulousain Stadium, Didier Lacroix, denounced in a long speech a decision “completely unacceptable” which “calls into question the credibility of the operating mode of the UPCR [European Professional Club Rugby]” ” , the organizing instance of European competitions.
He estimates his club, quintuple winner of the trophy, victim of “injustice” and “disrespect” while he was according to him “in capacity to play” Saturday against Welsh. “What I find incredibly scandalous is that the UPCR does not apply the rules that have been enacted,” he accused.
The health protocols in force in each championship must normally apply in European Cup to the clubs concerned. Namely, for France, have 23 players, at least six front-line and 15 professionals, so that a match can stand. Criteria completed by the High Garonnais Club, according to the XV of departure unveiled on its social networks before the scheduled schedule to better show its ability to play the meeting in front of its audience.
The organizer of the European Cup “can not afford to make arbitrary decisions that are the opposite of his own regulations,” reacted in a statement the President of the Rugby National League René Bouscatel, Solidarity of the Toulouse Stadium, which he has long chaired.
“Who benefits from the crime?”
The UNPCR has justified its choice to cancel the match by “a significant number of positive results” at SARS-COV2 in the Toulouse workforce and an “risk of additional contamination that has been tried too important”.
“Who benefits from the crime?”, Asked Didier Lacroix, accusing half-word the organizing instance of favoritism towards the British and Irish teams, a recurring reproach French side for several years.
Another French club, Bordeaux-Bègles, has been declared loser 28-0 on green carpet after the cancellation Friday of his meeting in Leicester, scheduled for the next day, because of contaminations at SARS-COV2. A less penalizing decision for UBB, already mathematically qualified for the round of 16 of the European Cup.
The Toulouse Stadium case should be brought before the courts. “This decision is legally attacking,” said Didier Lacroix. “Not for sports reasons, because evil is already done, but for economic reasons. And because there is a lack of total respect.”
The four home games that Toulouse had to play in recent weeks, against the WASPs, the French stadium, Montpellier and now Cardiff, have all been postponed or canceled due to CVIV-19.
A big financial shortfall for the club, which was to play the first two sold out, and a sports hard since the top 14 reported matches were reprogrammed during the six nations tournament, which will deprive them many international.