The FFR announced Tuesday that it was referring the matter to the LNR disciplinary committee after the violent criticism from the Vannes manager after the defeat against UBB.
The Vannes rugby club said on Wednesday “regret” that his coach's comments on the refereeing following the defeat on Saturday could have “hit” the arbitration world, while evoking “a media escalation”, via a press release from its president Olivier Cloarec. After Vannes' defeat against Union Bordeaux-Bègles during the tenth day of Top 14, Vannes coach Jean-Noël Spitzer notably declared that, depending on the statutes, “clubs are not refereed in the same way”.
While his team led 29-0 after thirty minutes of play, they finally lost 37-29 and remained last in the Top 14, the Breton technician had said in anger: “It was obvious that the referee was going to change the cursor at the break. We are on Canal +, facing an opponent who is fighting for the title. He was going to rebalance things. All the work of the week is ruined by these decisions. It’s not the first time that we’ve been refereed like kids.”
Spitzer also criticized the lack of geographical representation of referees at the highest level. “Jean-Noël Spitzer, because of his position, is fully aware that he must show greater measure and restraint. These comments were made hotly after a defeat which was morally painful, due to its unique scenario and so cruel for the club. This is not an excuse but part of an explanation.pleads the club in a press release to give a “part of explanation”.
“The notion of respect has always been a cardinal and essential value of our club”
However, Vannes president Olivier Cloarec, in his press release, wanted to provide a nuance. “Our manager explains that this defeat against UBB is caused by two main reasons: the team's inadequacies and the quality of our opponent. We are surprised that this was barely reflected in the media escalation that followed.he explains, speaking of “high-level learning”.
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Tuesday, in a press release, the FFR announced that it was referring the matter to the LNR disciplinary committee “so that these inappropriate accusations can be investigated” because they “only harm the image of our sport”. RC Vannes, the first Breton club to compete in the Top 14, reaffirmed on Wednesday that “our club has never called into question the probity and integrity” of the referees and welcomed the recent refereeing development plan. And to conclude: “The notion of respect has always been a cardinal and essential value of our club and we will continue to cultivate and defend it.”
