On May 30, in Paris, in person, the election for the presidency of Provale, the rugby players’ union, will take place. And we already know the name of the winner, the one who will succeed Robins Tchale-Watchou who has led the structure since 2014.
This is Malik Hamadache, a pillar still active at Agen and under contract until 2025. His list has been validated because it perfectly meets the statutes of Provale, which is not the case with that presented by Clément Maynadier, the Bordeaux-Bègles hooker, one of his running mates not being eligible. One of the conditions for being a member is to have been a member for at least four years.
When asked, Manyadier, who will end his career at the end of the season, did not want to comment on the news, simply explaining that one of his companions had not taken up his membership during the pandemic, while he accumulates almost ten years of presence in the union. Hamadache, who has been vice-president of Provale since 2019 and who had proposed to Maynadier to compose a common list, therefore finds himself alone in the running.
“Officially, no one told me that I was alone, you tell me that,” Hamadache confided on the phone, “I don’t have much to say, I’m focused and I’m working with my team, we’re going to be open to discussion, to reflection, with a single objective, unity in French rugby. » His team is made up of Wenceslas Lauret, Lise Arricastre, Daniel Brennan, Yann David and Caroline Drouin.
As a reminder, the election will therefore take place on May 30, in Paris, and in person, while many players were hoping for dematerialization. The management refused. This day is rather bad and will not allow many voters to travel since May 30 and 31 will take place the semi-finals of Pro D2, and we will be a few hours from the penultimate day of Top 14.
In 2019, for the re-election of Tchale-Watchou, fewer than 80 members voted. For the 2023-2024 season, 964 players (Top 14, Pro D2, National, National 2, Elite women) are affiliated with the structure.
