Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin
modified to
9:51 p.m., April 13, 2023
Claude Atcher, former managing director of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, has had a hectic last few months. Special guest of the show Europe 1 Sport (every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. live on Europe 1), the former rugby manager is the subject of an investigation for moral harassment concerning the working conditions at the organizing committee of the 2023 World Cup which will have take place from September 8 to October 28 in France. An investigation opened in November 2022 and which started after the revelation of anonymous testimonies in the daily The Team reporting an “extremely degraded working climate” within the France 2023 Public Interest Group (GIP), with “deep social malaise” among the staff.
Claude Atcher, laid off since October 2022, defends himself today from any “management by terror” as certain testimonies have stated: “I have a high level of requirement, but it is the job that requires it But that I am accused of insulting people or humiliating people is totally false”, justified the 67-year-old man at the microphones of Céline Géraud and Jacques Vendroux. And he goes even further. According to him, these accusations are only the result of a conspiracy carried out smoothly within the rugby body he led, but also other neighboring institutions: “I don’t want to talk about a conspiracy, but there is an aggregation of interests of certain people who at some point had an interest in me leaving the management. You have to look at who benefits from the crime. Bill Beaumont, the director of the World Cup never digested that we won the World Cup”, defended Claude Atcher in Europe 1 Sport.
No “evidence”
According to a report published by the labor inspectorate, 124 resignations were recorded under the Claude Atcher era, or around 36% of employees. A very high figure that the former general manager of the 2023 Rugby World Cup disputes: “We are more around 15%, which is a normal figure in a company”. According to him, among these 124 departures, people at the end of the contract have been integrated, which distorts the balance sheet. And Claude Atcher intends to highlight this point “in front of the Prudhommes”.
The former third center line of Rugby club Nîmes Gard also claims “evidence”. Because today, he still does not know who is hiding behind these testimonies despite his incessant requests. “I’m in a difficult state of mind. Today, I still don’t know what I’m accused of since all the charges against me are anonymous. I asked for proof of my management.” Unsuccessful so far.
Claude Atcher positions himself as a victim. “There is no worse suffering than injustice. And today, I am living that. It is very violent. I find what happened so unfair,” he said. he cursed in Europe 1 Sport. The investigation is currently underway and the former third line is now far from the world of rugby. But the former leader is sure: “There is nothing” although he respects justice and the work that is being done.
Now far from the organization of the 2023 World Cup, Claude Atcher fears that we are witnessing an “industrial accident” concerning the event. According to him, “we are not going to deliver the World Cup that he would have liked to deliver.” He denounces a lack of skills and experience among the people who are at the head of the organization.
Judged last December
Claude Atcher was also in the judicial spotlight last December. The former Racing 92 player was fined 5,000 euros for concealed work. A relieving verdict for this former decision-maker in French rugby. The penalties required were heavy: two years in prison, one of which was suspended, a fine of 50,000 euros, a three-year ban on carrying out any commercial activity, a one-year ban on carrying out any activity related to rugby. In the end, Atcher and the other accused are doing quite well. The leader appeared before the Paris Criminal Court for “concealment of breach of trust”, “abuse of corporate assets” and “hidden work”, in close connection with the Laporte-Altrad affair.