After looking into the management of the Montpellier rugby club, the regional court of accounts is now interested in management of the ASBH clubthe Béziers club. In a report of around fifty pages, she scrutinizes the club’s finances and especially the management method. She denounces excessive public funding, it must be said that the club largely belongs to the city of Béziers.
Indeed in 2021, while the club’s finances are at their worst and the ASBH is threatened with administrative demotion, Robert Ménard, decides to buy the club. The only way according to the mayor of Béziers to control the use of public funds. A buyout which was to be temporary until new buyers were found. Four years later, we are still waiting for the arrival of a group of investors.
The Court of Auditors questions the use of the latest publicmore than seven million euros, including 4.8 from the city of Béziers alone to finance the professional club and the association in charge of amateurs. Not to mention the exceptional subsidies to maintain financial balances. The city of Béziers, which also finances the operation of the Raoul Barrière stadium, the restoration of the lawn cost one million euros for example.
The regulatory ceilings governing the allocation of public funds have not been exceededbut the Court of Auditors has a hard time understanding where the general interest lies in all this financing. To which Robert Ménard responds that the club has missions of training and integration of young people, moreover the ASBH played the climb to the top 14 last year, the sporting results are therefore there. Finally, the mayor emphasizes that the city’s commitment to rugby in no way affects support for other sports: volleyball, gymnastics or baseball for example.
