The dismissal of Claude Atcher, managing director of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, currently suspended on a precautionary basis due to “alarming managerial practices”, must be examined this Monday by an extraordinary board of directors, according to the summons of which AFP became aware. If this happens, Julien Collette, who has been acting since the beginning of September, is expected, according to several sources, to succeed him.
The precautionary layoff of Atcher had been announced at the end of August by the Ministry of Sports, then ratified at the beginning of September by the Public Interest Group (GIP), responsible for organizing the World Cup in France, a little more one year from the start of the competition, and pending the conclusions of an investigation by the Labor Inspectorate.
This Monday, the president of GIP France 2023, Jacques Rivoal, “in view of new elements relating to the situation of the general manager, plans to propose to the board of directors to dismiss Mr. Atcher from this function (…)” , after having received it in “prior interview” to “break in advance, for serious misconduct, the fixed-term employment contract”, according to the summons.
If his dismissal is recorded, which makes little doubt, the GIP meeting urgently on Monday afternoon will proceed to the appointment of a new general manager and a new deputy general manager.
After an investigation by L’Equipe published in June, a report by the GIP’s ethics committee had highlighted “alarming managerial practices altering the functioning of the structure” and related “the state of suffering of a certain number of collaborators”. The conclusions of the Labor Inspectorate’s investigation have not yet been made public.
At the same time, the General Inspectorate of Finance and the General Inspectorate for Higher Education and Research are carrying out a joint mission to, in particular, “analyze the existence of any breaches of economic and financial probity or conflicts of interest”. within the GIP, in particular with regard to undue VTC costs invoiced by Claude Atcher when he had a company car.
In addition, very heavy requisitions were requested by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office in the Laporte-Altrad case, including three years in prison, including one firm, for the president of the FFR, and two years, including one firm, for Claude Atcher.
