The RC Vannes coach's comments against French refereeing, Saturday November 23 after the defeat against Bordeaux, did not please the authorities. The French Federation announced that it had referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of the National Rugby League, because “These accusations against the refereeing body only harm the image of our sport.”
“The referee will rebalance, obviously”
In its press release, the FFR “regrets and firmly denounces the comments made by the coach of the Vannes club against the match referee […]as well as the accusations going against the training process of French arbitration. »
As a reminder, after the improbable defeat against UBB (29-37) at La Rabine, Vannes coach Jean-Noël Spitzer did not mince his words against the evening refereeing. He notably responded a frank ” Exactly “ to the question “Do you have the feeling of being refereed as a child?” “. He had gone further: “Mistakes, it’s not just the players who made them tonight […]. I'm having trouble: a televised match in the evening, the referee who sees the score increasing for a team that must play for the title… He's going to rebalance, obviously. »
“There is something between us in the world of rugby, he also estimated. Medianly, our rise was rather well received. But there is a difference between being considered and being respected. What's frustrating is that all your work during the week with your players, your investment, can sometimes be swept away by unfairness, for me. »
“We regret if these remarks could have moved or offended”
The Vannes club reacted this Wednesday afternoon through a press release signed by the president, Olivier Cloarec. “The Rugby Club Vannes and its sports manager Jean-Noël Spitzer have taken note of the decision of the French Rugby Federation to refer the matter to the National Rugby League disciplinary committee. The club and its manager will be available to this committee to clarify these comments. We regret if these could have moved or offended the professional and amateur refereeing world.it is notably indicated. These comments were made hotly after a defeat which was morally painful. »
Before coming back to the referees: “Moreover, we would like to point out that Jean-Noël Spitzer and the entire club have been working for many years with the refereeing world for the training and development of young Breton referees in order to help them emerge. […] Like everyone involved in the game, referees can sometimes make mistakes. We can debate it but it is essential to protect them. Our club has never called into question their probity and integrity. »
