On June 17, 1995, Abdelatif Benazzi did not even have time to get up when his try scored against South Africa, which would have been synonymous with qualifying the Blues for the final of the Rugby World Cup, was invalidated by the referee. Thursday November 14, 2024, it will certainly take a little more time for the former second row to decide on his fate. This time, the action will not take place on a field but in a hotel in Dublin (Ireland), where the 52 members of the World Rugby council will be gathered. With, at stake, the succession of the Englishman Bill Beaumont as president of the organizing body of world rugby.
Abdelatif Benazzi is one of the candidates vying to occupy this position. He faces two other former internationals, the Italian Andrea Rinaldo (4 caps) and the Australian Brett Robinson (16 caps). The secret ballot in the morning may not be conclusive and, if none of the three candidates obtains an absolute majority straight away, it may be necessary to wait for the outcome of a second round before the winner is announced early this afternoon.
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The 56-year-old former Agen player campaigned on the breakup. “We are reaching the end of a model, all the players in the game are aware of it”, he says, saying he is convinced that one false rebound too many is close: “All the federations in the world are losing money, including France. We risk seeing the disappearance, in the future, of great nations, as we saw the disappearance of English clubs or Australian provinces recently, if we continue like this. »
Like that ? “By continuing among ourselves, without having a universalist vision of rugby”, replies the current vice-president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), who will relinquish this function if he is elected head of World Rugby.
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“Rugby sevens, a huge opportunity”
The objective of the former captain of the XV of France is the same as that which Bill Beaumont and other candidates running for the presidency have been able to display in the past: “globalize rugby”a sport limited to around ten nations at the very high level. And thus create a market that would be profitable for everyone.
To achieve this, Abdelatif Benazzi wants “strengthen the finances of major nations” et “opening up to countries where rugby is less established”in Africa or Asia. “Rugby sevens can be a huge development opportunity in these placeshe explains. It is festive, interests young people, and benefited from a magnificent showcase during the Paris Olympic Games. It is a language that speaks to these nations. » He wants to make people hear “the beauty of rugby” to these “young nations”. But also listen to them by giving them more of a voice. “Today, eleven countries have 70% of the voting rights on the World Rugby council. It’s too much, we need to reach out and share. »
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