New Zealand: Bernard Laporte was not invited!

If the Stade de France was “the place to be” on Friday evening to watch the much-anticipated encounter between France and New Zealand to open the World Cup, there was one notable absence. This absence is the absence of the resigned president of the French Rugby Federation, Bernard Laporte.

According to information from FigaroThe members of the new team, led by Florian Grill, strongly opposed the presence of the former president of the federation during this meeting and won their case. Although it should be noted that the new president was not an opponent. As a reminder, last December, Bernard Laporte was sentenced in the Court of First Instance to a two-year suspended prison term and a fine of 75,000 euros on charges of corruption, influence peddling and illegal seizure of interests.

Just before the World Cup, Florian Grill spoke into the microphoneEurope 1 about this call.

“I would love for us to settle his debts. Bernard Laporte would be very happy to have us invited by the FFR, provided that he pays what he owes us (paying the lawyer’s fees for his trial, estimated at 150,000 euros,” editor’s note). We make it a prerequisite. It is a matter of common sense. It’s the money of amateur rugby, and everyday clubs. I do not find it normal for FFR to pay attorney’s fees for a trial that does not concern them.

“If Fabien Galtier says to me: ‘I would like to have Bernard Laporte because he is an added advantage for rugby’, I say no problem because that is Fabien’s decision. But there is this basic condition…”