The day after her appointment with the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, the boss of French rugby, found in particular of corruption, on December 13, defines the contours of his “background”.
by Gabriel Richalot
To summarize things in a pictorial way, Bernard Laporte loses all his powers, but will keep his business cards. Less than twenty-four hours after her appointment with the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, Thursday December 22 in Paris, Mr. Laporte accepted, in a letter signed by his hand, the conditions set by it for Stay president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), namely to give up all the prerogatives linked to the function. The boss of the FFR made public, Friday around 3 p.m. on Friday, a letter addressed to the minister in which all the conditions of her “withdraw” are listed and the framework of the designation of the president (e)- Delegate who will hold real decision -making power in the future to the Federation.
The “background” of Mr. Laporte had been claimed by the Ethics and Ethics Committee of French Rugby (CEDRF) on December 16, after his conviction, three days earlier, to two years in prison with Surprise, 75,000 euros fine and two years of ban on exercising any function related to rugby – in particular for “passive corruption”, “influence traffic” and “illegal taking of interest”. Mr. Laporte, who appealed to this conviction and is therefore still presumed innocent, was found guilty at first instance of having made a series of arbitrations favorable to the businessman Mohed Altrad, president of the Rugby Club de Montpellier, of which he received 180,000 euros, in March 2017, in return for a fictitious image contract.
“until the final criminal decision”
In the mail addressed this Friday to M me oudéa-Castera, which does not sign the end of exchanges with the Ministry of Sports on the framework of this “background”, Mr. Laporte Announcement, in bold in the text, which he “decided to follow” to the letter “[the] injunction” of the CEDRF. The boss of the Federation then indicates that he accepts the designation, of a delegate president, who will recover “the entire prerogatives, until the final criminal decision” in His business.
m. Laporte also undertakes not to participate “in all the decision -making bodies of the French Rugby Federation”. He refrains “to engage the legal responsibility of the FFR, in any way whatsoever” and consequently accepts “the deletion of [s] we can sign”. It also agrees to “the abolition of all prerogatives of FFR spokesperson and official representation missions”. Finally, Mr. Laporte undertakes to be replaced by the president (e) delegate on the Board of Directors of France 2023, the Public Interest Group responsible for the organization of the Cup of the 2023 in France, from September 8 to October 28, 2023.
In the same letter, the former Minister of Sports from Nicolas Sarkozy also gives details on the process of appointing the one who will recover real power within the FFR. Mr. Laporte intends to propose a name to the FDF federal office on January 6, 2023. A consultation will then be organized with all clubs affiliated to the Federation (nearly 2,000) “during the third week of January 2023” .
The mail signed this Friday by Mr. Laporte can give the feeling that he is completely retiring. No doubt because the Devil sometimes nestles in detail, the Ministry of Sports has not, for the moment, not given its final agreement to the conditions of this “withdrawal” and indicated to the world on Friday in the after -Midi, that the exchanges with the FFR “continue”.