The Court of Auditors has just revealed this Monday its report on the French Rugby Federation, for the period 2018-2024. A 137-page, very detailed document that examines the finances of the FFR. And who presses where it hurts. In summary: the Federation, its 350,000 members, its 1900 clubs, its approximately 300 employees and its 150 million euros budget, faces “a degraded financial situation”.
A structural deficit of 18 million euros annually weighed down the period, marked by strong growth in the number of employees (+ 40% between 2017 and 2024), as well as “structuring projects whose management was sometimes insufficient, even failing”.
The Laporte period singled out
But everything is not to be thrown away for the FFR, chaired since 2023 by Florian Grill. The Court of Auditors thus recognizes that governance, “failing on several occasions” (the Court cites the conviction of former President Bernard Laporte for corruption), is today “in the process of improving”. That “the strong growth in numbers” was “better controlled at the end of the period”. And that “significant recovery measures” of the financial situation have “already been taken”.
On the FFR side, we recall that this report was called for by Florian Grill, when he inherited “the catastrophic situation” of the Laporte era. According to the Federation, the structural deficit has today been reduced to 7 million, and “the prospect is to be in balance for the 2027-2028 season, and this for several seasons”.
The FFR was weighed down over this period by several burdens: the deficit in hospitality for the 2023 World Cup, largely borne by the Federation. But also the CVC “mirage”: if this pension fund took a stake in the Six Nations Committee which first allowed the Federations to receive money, it is today “the 7th Nation” of the Tournament, and no longer pays money to the FFR this year.
An “aberrant” real estate investment in Pantin
“In the short term, the financial situation and cash flow of the FFR are threatened” by this agreement, points out the Court of Auditors. Finally, the real estate investment launched by the Laporte team in Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis), on the grounds of the Montbrand stadium, “aberrant” according to the current leaders of the Federation, risks costing 3 million euros per year, warns the Court.
The FFR, which responded point by point to the Court of Auditors, explains in particular that the search for tenants in Pantin will make it possible to limit the deficit to 2 million per year. It has also renegotiated the rights with the Committee of the Six Nations, which allows it to free up 3 million euros more per year.
And finally, the contract signed with GL Events, new manager of the Stade de France, is more advantageous for it. The FFR, for example, is counting on ticket revenues of 8 to 9 million euros for big matches at the Stade de France, such as the France-England match on March 14. Enough to hope for a recovery in finances in the coming months.
