Conviction that spells the end for Laporte

JAMES HARRINGTON

FRENCH COLUMN

Bernard Laporte's future as president of French rugby's governing body has to be untenable after he was found guilty of corruption charges this week, nine months before the country hosts the World Cup he controversially helped win.

On Tuesday, he was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence, and a €75,000 fine by a judge in Paris, who also ruled that he should be barred from holding any position in rugby for two years.

Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) president Laporte and Montpellier owner Mohed Altrad were sentenced on Tuesday by the Paris criminal court for corruption linked in particular to sponsorship of the jersey of the France national team.

The trial followed a five-year investigation over claims Laporte agreed an image rights contract with Altrad worth €180,000, then later pressured the LNR's appeals committee to drop sanctions against Montpellier following the display of banners protesting against the proposed merger between Racing 92 and Stade Francais at during a match at the club's ground in 2017.

Laporte admitted at the time speaking to the board's chairman, but insisted it was only to offer “political perspective”. An original sanction of €70,000 fine and a one-match stadium ban was reduced to a fine of €20,000 following the conversation. Seven members of the appeals committee resigned after the verdict.

The same year, the Altrad Group became the first shirt sponsor of the French national teams, was a partner in France's bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup – and, in January 2018, signed a €35million deal to sponsor the shirts of the national team until 2023, rising to €40million with bonuses.

Despite some claims to the contrary on social media in the hours and days since the court's decision, Laporte's role in securing hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup was not part of the investigation or court case. However grubby and underhand anyone may have found the vote-chasing from the French representatives after South Africa's bid was declared the best of the three on the table, ahead of France and Ireland, it wasn't illegal.

Laporte's lawyers have already indicated that he would appeal, which means that the suspended sentence and the administrative ban are not immediately enforceable. At the time of writing, he remains in office at Marcoussis. But, politically, he appears fatally wounded. It should be just a matter of time.

Florian Grill, who narrowly lost the 2020 FFR presidential election vote – which took place shortly after Laporte and Altrad spent several days being questioned by police – wasted no time in calling for M le President to quit. He wasn't alone.

Within hours of the ruling, he had stood down from the vice-presidency of World Rugby. In a statement, World Rugby said it, “notes the decision by World Rugby Vice-Chairman Bernard Laporte to self-suspend from all positions held within its governance structures with immediate effect following his conviction by the French court in relation to domestic matters, and pending his appeal”.

The governing body's new independent Ethics Officer will review the case “in accordance with [World Rugby's] Code of Integrity”, the statement added, as it “ac-knowledg[ed] Laporte's self-suspension and right of appeal”.

Soon after, France's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera called for Laporte to step down from the FFR. Like World Rugby, she recognised his right of appeal and presumption of innocence, but the Ministry of Sport said in a statement: “In terms of good governance, the Minister considers that this new context prevents Bernard Laporte from being able … to pursue his mission under good conditions at the head of a Federation delegated to a public service mission, at a moment as decisive for French rugby as the home stretch before a Rugby World Cup.”

And, on Thursday, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) called for a new election at the FFR. “Faced with this unprecedented situation that weakens the institution, and after consultation with the presidents of the Top 14 and ProD2, the LNR Board considers that appeasement should be brought back to French rugby through the organisation of new elections, as requested by the Minister of Sports,” it said in a statement.

“This approach will allow the governance designated at the end of these elections to move forward calmly to major events that lie ahead for French rugby.”

On Friday, the ethics committee of the FFR said Bernard Laporte should “stand aside”. If he doesn't, it has the authority to pass the matter on to the disciplinary committee. And a Midi Olympique poll of French rugby clubs, which voted to elect Laporte president in 2016 and 2020 has found 53 per cent believe he should resign.

The wheels of French justice grind slowly. The investigation that led to this week's convictions opened in 2017. Police raided Laporte's home, FFR headquarters and Altrad's home in January 2018. The appeal process could easily run on for another 18 months or more – by which time Laporte's second and final term as FFR president would be over, even without this scandal.

But his ambition of stepping into Bill Beaumont's shoes at World Rugby after overseeing what he had planned to be a successful World Cup in France must now lie in tatters at his feet, while Beaumont's own position is tricky as the absence of Laporte – who was key to his re-election as chairman – leaves a power vacuum at the top of the organisation. He would certainly have expected to be front and centre during next year's tournament. It now seems unlikely he will be seen much in public during the two-month rugby jamboree.

For now, Beaumont has taken on Laporte's duties at World Rugby. But that situation cannot last – certainly not for as long as the appeals process is likely to take. Which means a replacement, however temporary, will have to be found.

Altrad's conviction – he was sentenced to an 18-month suspended jail term and fined €50,000 – also raises questions in rugby circles. The construction magnate recently became the shirt sponsor of All Blacks in a six-year deal worth a reported €113million. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said on Wednesday that it would seek discussions with Altrad immediately. “We will be calling representatives of the company (Altrad) and all of our key partners immediately,” New Zealand Rugby said in a statement.

The only question, now, is how long it will take for Laporte – apolitical animal to the last – to bow to what has to be the inevitable.