After the announcement of the resignation of co-president Alain Coulaud following the departure of the Aliquam Consortium, the municipality of Lourdes dotted the “i’s”.
Following the article published in our editions, dated November 12, announcing the resignation of co-president Alain Coulaud and the departure of the Aliquam Consortium, presented as a future partner on June 5, 2024, which should bring the club to professionalize, the president of the FCL, Bruno Horta, held a press conference, in the premises of the Antoine Béguère stadium, Friday November 12.
At his side, the mayor of Lourdes, Thierry Lavit, the deputy for Sports, Mohamed Dilmi, the chief of staff, Laurent Jubier, three members of the communications department of the city of Lourdes and Régis Cyprès, secretary general of the FCL.
16 meetings between Lourdes town hall and the Consortium
If the resignation of the co-president was not contested, it was the departure of the Consortium which required this clarification.
Bruno Horta explains: “We have been working for four years to restructure the club. Today, we field every Sunday, in addition to the senior teams, two junior teams and two others, as cadets. The project? That of playing in the National, not did not, personally, make me dream! The FCL is not in danger, neither sportingly nor financially. The club existed before us, today it still exists and it will exist after us.
Thierry Lavit will be more voluble: “The City of Lourdes is the club’s first partner and it represents the taxpayers of Lourdes. I recall the subsidy allocated and the investment made for lighting which allows the FCL to record substantial revenues. The Antoine Béguère municipal stadium belongs to the Lourdais. The city of Lourdes will not allow itself to sell the facilities which are part of the heritage, nor to sign a long lease, without guarantee. After sixteen meetings with the Consortium, we have expressed doubts. their reliability; the file transmitted by the Consortium to the FFR turned out to be ineligible. Therefore, there was no separation since we never joined forces.
The FCL supported by Lourdes
And the councilor of the city of Lourdes added: “What matters to me is to see, at the end of the season, the FCL being maintained, it is to note the possible arrival of new partners. I sent the Lourdes leaders a three-phase plan: the renovation of the so-called “submarine” premises where meetings are held; the receptive (legacy Rugby aid file), with the development of the Michel Crauste space, of which the city will be the project owner; Lthe commercial part, with the search for private partners with guarantees. In any case, I do not accept that the town hall is taken hostage.”
And to conclude with this leitmotif: ”Serenity and work”.
Ultimately, no denial of the published article, except on the departure of the consortium, each party of which presents its version… As in a divorce.
