French boycott threatens cup future

RUGBY: European CupThe Heineken European Cup is facing the greatest threat to its existence in eight years after the French Top 14 clubs voted unanimously to boycott the tournament next season. Furious behind-the-scenes negotiations will continue apace to resolve issues that are not really of the ERC's making, before the next meeting of ERC shareholders on February 6th. But the portents are not good.

To a large degree the European Cup is merely the battleground for domestic wars being waged on French and English fronts regarding financial share-outs and fixture congestion. Negotiations to replace the existing Paris Accord, which expires at the end of the season, have been continuing for months, but on Tuesday evening a meeting of the 17-man board of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) voted by 14-3 to boycott next season's European Cup.

All 14 clubs voted in favour of the boycott, with the only dissenters being the ERC chairman, Jean-Pierre Lux, and the two delegates from the French Federation.

The La Ligue president, Serge Blanco, expressed his grievances in interviews with L'Equipe and La Depeche yesterday, and cited the decision by the RFU to renege on a deal to split their shareholding in ERC with the English clubs. "There is too much uncertainty about the future of the English clubs," he told L'Equipe, maintaining that had the RFU not changed their mind the French clubs "would have signed the new agreement for the future of the Heineken Cup" before the November 22nd deadline.

That the French clubs have since hardened their stance was due to a developing row with their own federation and, by extension, the IRB. This year's semi-final and final of the French championship clashes with France's two-Test series in New Zealand, with the federation agreeing that the participating clubs would have first call on their players - something that could weaken the French Test team against the All Blacks by around 75 per cent.

Subsequently FFR president Bernard Lapasset informed Blanco the Top 14 fixture itinerary for next season, which was to start the week after the World Cup final in Paris on October 20th and conclude on June 28th 2008, would have to be changed. Instead, the first two rounds of the Top 14 would have to take place during the World Cup so that it could finish earlier and therefore accommodate France's tour to Australia in the summer of 2008. This was unacceptable to Blanco.

"The long-term consequences are very dangerous both for our clubs and for the English clubs. More and more international matches are undermining the domestic competitions in both countries. Next season in England 10 of the 22 rounds in the Guinness Premiership will be played on international weekends, which is ridiculous. Our championships are losing their value.

"This is a heart-breaking decision to have to make but we are convinced if we did not do this our domestic championship will be dead by 2009," says Blanco, who is no doubt also acutely mindful of La Ligue's negotiations with Canal+ to televise the Top 14, which could supposedly double the clubs' intake from the existing €20 million per annum.

Furthermore, the mooted move by the RFU to create a franchise system and Syd Millar's declaration that the IRB were considering creating an international tournament for the top 10 countries are perhaps not unrelated.

"Unfortunately, the European Cup is the only leverage we have for our protest against an international calendar which doesn't take into account the issues and the complexities of club rugby," admitted Blanco.

By withdrawing from the European Cup next season the French free up five Six Nations weekends. The fear now is the English, who have a written agreement with the RFU to participate in the European competitions until 2009, will now use the French boycott as a get-out clause.

To a degree the French clubs seem a tad short-sighted. Blanco's club, Biarritz, are on the brink of earning their third home quarter-final in a row at San Sebastien which, at a conservative estimate, will generate €600,000-plus in gate receipts alone. But perhaps that demonstrates their resolve.

Existing television deals which the ERC have struck would also be jeopardised. For example, French Television - main broadcasters of the European Cup - yesterday threatened to stop their coverage and demand remuneration of their estimated €11 million deal. Daniel Bilalian of French Television said a French boycott "means the end of our contract. We will get our money back and goodbye."

ERC chief executive Derek McGrath admitted he was "surprised" by Blanco's statement, but added: "We take note, we take it seriously, but we're very confident that we have a process that everybody has bought into and that's the process which will resolve any of these matters".

He confirmed a document outlining a new accord would be circulated for discussion at the February 6th shareholders' meeting.

"We all have a responsibility to continue to work to develop the tournament and to resolve these matters," added McGrath. "It's important we focus on that and be very careful that we don't damage something that is very, very precious, but also very, very vulnerable."

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne will be at that meeting, but, like his Welsh, Scottish and Italian counterparts, may feel slightly removed from the rift.

"The difficulty here is that we're on the sidelines. The row seems to be between the English clubs and the English union, along with the French clubs and the French Federation and the IRB."

He pointed out the European Cup has enhanced not only the European game but also the Six Nations, and while he recognised that "from their (the French clubs) perspective, French domestic rugby is their fundamental competition", he hoped that "common sense will prevail".

As in 1998-99, ERC might be able to keep the European Cup afloat without the TV revenues generated by the participation of the French, and perhaps also the English, clubs, for a year, but not for much longer. But to a large degree, the rifts are outside the ERC's remit.

French sources of disagreement

Share-holding.The French Federation have agreed to split their shareholding in ERC with the French clubs, but the English RFU have reneged on a similar deal with the English clubs.

Fixture congestion.With the French Top 14 not due to start until a week after the World Cup final on October 20th, the French Federation insisted on an earlier start for the league, on the Wednesdays before the semi-finals and final, to accommodate France's end-of-season tour to Australia in the summer of 2008. The clubs refused to comply.

Television deals.The French clubs are in negotiation with Canal+ for a new television deal reputedly set to double the existing 20 million per year amid fears that the top-heavy Top 14 is being devalued by the fixture congestion.

The International Rugby Board.Blanco and the clubs want a new professional wing of the IRB to look solely after that aspect of the game, with representation on it, and a maximum of 11 Tests per country per year.

Lurking in the background is the RFU's reported moves to create a franchise system at the expense of the English clubs.