“A catastrophe”: Florian Grill, the president of the FFR, is alarmed by a possible cut of several million euros from the sports budget

Florian Grill is angry. He is not the only one. At the announcement of a possible new drastic cut in the sports budget, via an amendment tabled this Thursday in the Senate, the sporting world reacted strongly to the news. In fact, the Barnier government (former Prime Minister) had already planned a reduction in its budget, going from an envelope of 268 million to 141 million.

But via an amendment submitted to the Senate today, 34 million euros could be withdrawn from the new sports budget, triggering the anger of the various federations, including the French Rugby Federation. In a tweet published shortly after the announcement, Florian Grill challenged the senators, and evokes a “catastrophe”. In question, writes the president re-elected largely last October: this “new project to reduce the sports budget and a possible additional cut of 123 million euros, which would bring the reduction to 391 million!”

Sport is an issue for youth and for nation-building

“Sport is an issue for youth and for nation-building”concludes Grill, who is not the only one to react strongly to this possible budget reduction. The French Olympic and Paralympic Committee was also annoyed in a press release, accusing the decision of François Bayrou's government “of making the situation worse by tabling a new amendment which reduces a budget which is becoming marginal by an additional €34 million.” “With such a sports budget for 2025, there will be no additional clubs, no accessible equipment, no reinforcement of sports supervisors. We will not be able to maintain the momentum generated by Paris 2024inform the French Olympism and Paralympism. Parasports, in particular, risk losing a historic opportunity to develop sustainably.”

For its part, the French Football Federation also expressed its indignation in an unequivocal press release: “At a time when, more than ever, because of its essential educational and social role in combating the tensions that our society is experiencing, sport must be helped and its funding supportedsays the powerful rugby counterpart. The French Football Federation wishes to draw the attention of parliamentarians to the issues at stake in this debate and to the need to live up to the hopes and enthusiasm aroused in our country by the JOPs. Maintaining the means of State intervention in sport is a major issue for the social cohesion of our society.”