In a letter from the Ministry of Sports to the organizer of the European Rugby Cup, the French government expressed its “misunderstanding” about the cancellation of the match between Toulouse and Cardiff.
The meeting was canceled on Friday by the EPCR due to six cases of Covid-19 in the reigning European champion six days before the match, for fear of an epidemic. As a result, Stade Toulousain lost the match on green carpet (28-0) and could have been eliminated from the competition.
“I am awaiting an explanation of the reasons which led you to sanction Stade Toulousain when it had a full team to play the match against Cardiff and scrupulously respected the authentic LNR protocol for participating. in the European Cup, as your regulations indicate, ”wrote Roxana Maracineanu in the letter.
The Minister of Sports also recalls that France has put in place “a demanding and effective strategy to fight against the epidemic” and that her ministry “has validated the protocol presented by the National Rugby League”, which aims to be “extremely robust “.
It’s totally incomprehensible
According to her, “Stade Toulouse has made the responsible choice to test very widely within the club, including the administrative and logistical staff who revolve around the professional collective, so as to immediately put anyone infected in isolation, avoid any start of the cluster and always maintain a sufficient workforce to calmly compete in the European Championship and Cup”.
And the minister is not afraid to raise her voice. “This responsible and transparent approach is today sanctioned by your decision. It penalizes an exemplary club in its management of the crisis. Beyond the moral and sporting consequences for the club and its players, your incomprehensible decision discredits the health protocol of our championship and all of French sport. It’s totally incomprehensible. »
On Saturday, it was the president of the National Rugby League René Bouscatel who criticized this decision.
Thanks to the results of the other clubs involved in the competition, Toulouse managed to qualify for the round of 16 by playing only two matches.