News that comes at a bad time for French rugby, and especially for the finances of its federation. Australian media The Sydney Herald assures this Sunday that his Australian counterpart is still demanding 1 million Australian dollars, which is equivalent to 602,000 euros and which corresponds to a bonus negotiated between the management of Rugby Australia (RA) and the former president of the FFR, Bernard Laporte.
This bonus was negotiated in 2021 and promised in exchange for the Wallabies’ participation in a Blues test match for the 2023 World Cup, a match which took place on August 27. “Based on the words of the Australian leaders, we discovered an oral agreement for a sum of the order of one million euros or a little less,” explained the new president of the FFR, Florian Grill, on August 18. Olympic Midday. Obviously, this had not been budgeted for. »
Which did not prevent the RA from demanding this sum, therefore, and from insisting again today, as the Sydney Herald specifies.
“Hamish McLennan (RA president) and RA officials were under the impression that they would receive the full amount, but they were shocked when the FFR paid less than €60,000 for Australia’s participation in the Test- match, writes the Herald. RA would not confirm the exact amount the governing body received from the FFR, but said it was negotiating to recover as much money as possible. »
“Our conversations with the FFR are continuing on this matter – the matter is not yet resolved,” Phil Waugh, chief executive of the RA, said in a statement. Money which would be welcome for the Australian federation, plagued by sporting and financial difficulties following this year of the World Cup.
Contacted by AFP on Sunday evening, the president of the French Federation Florian Grill assured that he had “no written trace of anything”. “I don’t have a written agreement. So if I’m not presented with anything, I have no reason to pay. How do I justify it, accounting? Pay the slightest penny, without any written trace… I am willing to honor the signature of the French Rugby Federation but there must still be documents. The situation has not changed, I report to a steering committee, to a general assembly… You have to be serious. »
