When we think of an election scheduled for this fall, we think of Washington rather than Marcoussis. However, a fortnight before the United States, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) will know the name of its (possible) new president on Saturday. Whether it is the outgoing Florian Grill or his competitor Didier Codorniou, he will of course call for the tricolor oval to come together. But the task will be difficult, if not impossible, as the two camps have been torn apart in recent months.
However, the current boss of the FFR (59 years old) and the former international center with 32 selections (66 years old), who declared himself in May, had promised worthy debates, well above the belt. Instead, the exchanges turned into verbal fistfights, throughout a summer as dismaying as it was dramatic, between the Jaminet and Jégou-Auradou affairs on the sidelines of the XV of France’s tour in Argentina, and the disappearance at sea of young U18 international Medhi Narjissi in South Africa.
“I expected a campaign mainly focused on the project, appeasement, bringing together, hence my slogan of “re-enchanting rugby”, notes Codorniou, leader of the “100% Rugby” list. I was quite surprised to experience these tensions, especially on social networks. I consult them very, very little, but people talk to me about them. » “The campaign is quite incredibly violent, judges Grill,” adds the leader of “Ovale Ensemble”. I want to stay on the image of the international Didier Codorniou, with whom we committed to a clean campaign. For my part, I keep my commitment. »
The coup of October 1st
Obviously, both camps blame each other for this electric climate, where each subject becomes an additional reason to argue. On October 1, 16 members of the opposition spectacularly resigned from the FFR steering committee. An essentially symbolic gesture, 19 days before the election. Among the mutineers, Patrick Buisson, close to former president Bernard Laporte and beaten by Grill during the June 2023 election, or the ex-captain of the XV of France Guilhem Guirado, former right-hand man of Buisson now running mate of Codorniou.
In a letter addressed to the boss of the FFR, the mutineers justified their coup by the choice of the Federation to put Le Coq Sportif, its former equipment supplier, into liquidation, but also by another tragedy which left rugby in mourning. French: the drowning of a 13-year-old teenager from Futuna. The opposition accused the government of having hidden information about this death from it, which the latter denied with supporting documents.
“The resignation is due to too many decisions taken without consultation,” summarizes Guirado, who criticizes the Grill camp for a lack of transparency. As soon as we want to ask for information, as soon as we want to address a subject, we are immediately told: “political recovery”. But after a while, when it’s recurring, there may be a fundamental problem. »
Speaking of politics, The Team revealed in mid-September that Didier Codorniou, mayor of Gruissan (Aude), was the target of two legal investigations, the first linked to the award of public contracts, the second to a carousel accident which cost the life of a 2-year-old child. and a half years in 2018.
A similar observation on the needs of their sport
While claiming to have “nothing to fear from one or the other file”, the former “Little Prince” of French rugby had affirmed on RMC that he did not “believe too much in coincidences”, suggesting that his competitor may have played a role in his revelations.
In the midst of this crush, the club presidents will have to make a choice at the end of the week, while their problems are far removed from these personal quarrels. And the observation of these evils is undoubtedly the only thing that brings both camps in agreement. Behind a professional rugby which lives rather well, without being sheltered from the financial worries of the FFR, the amateur sector struggles too often, between flight of licensees among young boys, travel costs sometimes difficult to bear and increasingly volunteers rare.
The “Ovalie” pages of the biweekly Olympic Middaydevoted to sport from below, regularly describe clubs forced to declare a general forfeit in certain categories or even to go dormant for an indefinite period. In the National (third division), Hyères-Carqueiranne had to give up lining up, like Blagnac during last season.
“We are the second sport in the media and the tenth in number of licensees [361.704 licenciés en mai 2024] », observes Florian Grill, who hopes to have free rein to continue his reforms in order to “relaunch rugby from the base, with the increase in the number of licensees”, such as this “Marshall Plan of 20 million euros for the installations, a real success.”
Didier Codorniou promises, in the event of victory, “a meeting, from January until March-April 2025” to discuss in a collegial manner all the ills of rugby, before the vote “during the general assembly of the first weekend of July in Clermont-Ferrand of the blue book which will give the orientations for the next ten or fifteen years.
The two rivals also agree on the need to simplify administrative formalities, as well as on health concerns, linked to concussions in particular, and addiction which poison their sport.
Divergences on the state of the finances of the FFR
But the analysis diverges again when it comes to discussing the means available to the FFR to carry out its policy. Didier Codorniou and his relatives accuse the outgoing president of darkening the picture. “There were three positions created, funding for the Leagues [régionales]there is a lot of money distributed. When a business or community is in difficulty, we are very careful. This is not the case here. »
“Some people can say what they want, but when you look at the report from KPMG, a completely independent firm, it is clear that there is a real concern,” replies Clotilde Delbos, who will be the treasurer of the Fed if Florian Grill is re-elected. I am afraid that some will confuse the endowment funds which do not belong to us with the FFR’s own funds. » It is up to the leaders of amateur clubs to make their choice now, after this tough campaign: they are called to vote electronically between Friday 8 a.m. and Saturday noon.
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