Andrew Mehrtens, former Old Black star, Bobby Skinstad, South African international and Eddy Jordan, Formula 1 team boss. A team under the Irish banner buys the Béziers rugby club.
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For several weeks, redemption stories have been on the minds of all ASBH supporters. Everyone was eager to know. “Mr. Ménard announced that the club was sold. Now we wait, we long for it to be signed”, a supporter confided to France 3 Occitanie.
The mayor of Béziers put an end to the supense this Thursday, November 7 by announcing the names of the buyers of the Béziers rugby club. They are Andrew Mehrtens, former Old Black star, Bobby Skinstad, South African international and more surprisingly, Eddy Jordan, Formula 1 team boss.
A team under the Irish banner, confusing for the oldest. “I don’t know what these people are looking for. Why do they come to invest here? Why is it taking so long to conclude?” asked Alain Paco, former ASBH hooker. Questions asked by the DNACG,a National Directorate for Management Assistance and Control, the rugby regulatory authority.
The League’s financial policeman, after four hearings, gave the green light to this buyout on condition of provisioning the accounts with at least three million euros. On the sporting side, this vagueness was seriously starting to be felt. “I think they are not going to revolutionize everything this year and that they will leave all their confidence to Pierre Caillet, the current coach and his men,” smiles Michael Guedj, vice-president of the ASBH.
Players, staff and supporters, already burned two years ago by the Dominici affair and the fake Emiratis, are this time expecting solid guarantees. “It’s a bet in the best conditions for them,” concludes Robert Ménard. The purchase of Béziers would be part of a vast rugby team project. The Irish consortium also wants to buy the English club London Irish.
Written with Hélène Marcudy.
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