Corentin Alloune / Photo credit: JOEL SAGET / AFP
Seven years after the election of Bernard Laporte as president of the French Rugby Federation, the body changed governance this Wednesday with the arrival of Florian Grill. The day after his election, the new boss of French rugby explains how he sees the future with his predecessor, after a few tense months within the organization.
This Wednesday, the leader of the opposition Florian Grill was freshly elected president of the French Rugby Federation until the end of the year 2024 and thus succeeds Alexandre Martinez, interim president since the resignation of Bernard Laporte, has announced the Federation. Invited to the microphone of Europe 1 Sport, the new boss of the FFR delivers, after months of tension within his federation, on the resignation of Bernard Laporte and his future within the organization.
“Anyone would do that in their everyday life”
Despite tense moments within the federation, Florian Grill wants to be grateful to Bernard Laporte for everything the latter has done for the XV of France. “We have to thank him for having obtained the organization of the World Cup for us because that, we are not going to take it away from him! It’s a chance for the country”, he underlines. But the boss of French rugby does not forget that the legal costs of the conviction for corruption in the first instance of his predecessor will not be settled with the money of the federation.
“It is not up to the FFR and the amateur clubs to pay the lawyer’s fees for a trial”, explains Florian Grill firmly at the microphone of Europe 1 Sport. According to him, it is therefore not normal that the FFR pays the lawyer’s fees, but also that the organization was not reimbursed the day after his conviction.
But the successor of Bernard Laporte does not take a dim view of the latter’s return to the France team: “If Fabien Galthié considers that it is a plus for our Blues and that it allows us to win the Cup of the world, I’m not against it.” But, he adds that “reimbursement is a prerequisite”. “Anyone would do that in their everyday life,” concludes Florian Grill.