French rugby boss Laporte found guilty

[The InnFORCEr]

Staff Writers
Reuters
December 13, 2022 10:14PM

Bernard Laporte, the head of the French Rugby Federation, has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence and a EUR75,000 (A$120,000) fine after being found guilty of corruption charges in a French court.

The verdict comes nine months before the World Cup kicks off in France. Laporte is also World Rugby vice-chairman.

Laporte was banned from holding any position in rugby for two years but on Tuesday his lawyer Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi said he would appeal the ruling, enabling the 58-year-old to keep his two roles if the organisations permit.

However, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said his sentencing put him in an untenable situation and called on the French federation to act.

"In terms of good governance, the minister considers that this new context is an obstacle to Bernard Laporte being able... to continue his mission under good conditions at the head of a Federation... in such a decisive time for French rugby, in the final stretch before a Rugby World Cup when France will be hosting nations from all over the world," the sports ministry said in a statement.

A spokesman for World Rugby said the executive committee "will convene tonight [Wednesday morning AEDT] to determine the next steps in accordance with the international federation's Integrity Code. A further update will be made following the meeting."

Laporte was found guilty of passive corruption, influence peddling, illegal interest taking and misuse of corporate assets.

The Paris criminal court also handed top flight rugby union club Montpellier's owner Mohed Altrad a EUR50,000 ($A80,000) fine and an 18-months suspended prison sentence after finding him guilty of active corruption, influence peddling, and misuse of corporate assets, L'Equipe newspaper reported.

In 2017, Laporte was the subject of an investigation into an alleged conflict of interests and denied accusations that he pressured the French federation's appeals board to reduce sanctions against Top 14 club Montpellier.

Following a three-month investigation, the French sports ministry said Laporte contacted the appeal commission's president and stressed that the phone call resulted in commission members changing their decision. Montpellier's fine was reduced and a one-game stadium ban was cancelled after Laporte's intercession.

A former French international player and head coach, and from 2007-09 French Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Laporte was named in August by World Rugby magazine 'the most influential person in rugby'.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/ru...ilty-c-9152364

[Tazzmania]

All Blacks, Montpellier, France and the Force are sponsored by the company Altrad.

Altrad is bigger than its sports sponsorships.

It is a global powerhouse business with nearly 52,000 employees in over 50 countries with over 120 subsidary companies.

It employees over 2000 people in Australia

Lets all focus on the bigger picture for the moment as the company has not been implicated.

[jargan83]

All Blacks, Montpellier, France and the Force are sponsored by the company Altrad.

Altrad is bigger than its sports sponsorships.

It is a global powerhouse business with nearly 52,000 employees in over 50 countries with over 120 subsidary companies.

It employees over 2000 people in Australia

Lets all focus on the bigger picture for the moment as the company has not been implicated.

How random.

[Tazzmania]

How random.

Not really

We are sponsored by Altrad the company.

Before those social media negative posts start, once people start associating us with what is happening, I have just put it out there what Altrad as a company represents, as many take delite in running the Force down whenever they have an opportunity.

Here in Perth they recently purchased Valmac, and as one of our sponsors and also an employer of many West Australians I wanted to add some context as to Altrad the company so when people read the posts, they look at the bigger picture.

[Kiap]

Why a French Rugby corruption scandal could impact Australian rugby

By Georgina Robinson
December 14, 2022 — 6.39pm

A high-profile corruption trial in a Paris court is set to reverberate around the rugby world after one of Rugby Australia’s staunchest allies and a billionaire sponsor of the Western Force were convicted on bribery charges this week.

World Rugby vice-president Bernard Laporte and construction magnate Mohed Altrad were both handed suspended jail sentences and five-figure fines in the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday over a raft of business dealings undertaken over the past five years.


Bernard Laporte (right) was instrumental in Australia winning the hosting rights to the 2027 Rugby World Cup. GETTY

Laporte, who is also the French Rugby Federation president and the man credited with winning France the hosting rights to next year’s World Cup in controversial circumstances, will appeal his two-year suspended jail sentence and $117,000 fine.

Lawyers for Altrad, the owner of French club Montpellier and sponsor of the Western Force, All Blacks and Black Ferns, have not yet declared their intentions. The 74-year-old was handed an 18-month suspended prison term and a $78,000 fine for active corruption, insider influencing and misuse of company assets.

The convictions sent shockwaves through international rugby and put the sport’s global governing body into damage control.

Laporte stood down from his World Rugby positions pending the outcome of his legal appeal, but will face investigation by World Rugby’s recently appointed ethics officer, Neil Hallett, regardless.

The move leaves a power vacuum at the top of the World Rugby governance tree, with Laporte’s support in 2020 key to the re-election of president Bill Beaumont. His position, should it remain vacant, will likely be filled by an official from a major northern hemisphere union, a move that could shift the balance of power even further away from the interests of southern hemisphere nations Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

Closer to home, New Zealand Rugby and the Western Force were taking time to consider their options on Wednesday. Neither party had any role in the criminal case brought against Altrad, but both organisations wear the Altrad Group logo on their jerseys after signing lucrative sponsorship deals with the company.

“The Force is in ongoing discussions with the Altrad Group and the club’s key stakeholders following the verdict by a French court overnight (WA time),” the Force said in a statement.

“The Force takes this matter very seriously and will seek further information from the company. The club will then review its sponsorship with Altrad accordingly.”

NZR told stuff.co.nz it was seeking an urgent meeting with Altrad’s representatives over the future of its $120 million naming rights partnership, while the Western Force were expected to follow suit.


The founder of the Force’s major sponsor, Altrad, has been found guilty of corruption in France. GETTY

“We have been in discussions on the possibility of this outcome for some time,” NZ Rugby said in a statement. “With the verdict against Mr Altrad personally now having been handed down, we will be reconvening with representatives from the company immediately – as well as with our key stakeholders.”

There will be further fallout as the global game digests Laporte’s conviction. One of the most powerful figures in international rugby, he has been at the epicentre of some of the sport’s most controversial recent moments.

In 2017, in his capacity as president of FFR, he pulled off a major upset to win France the hosting rights to the 2023 World Cup, after an independent technical evaluation named South Africa the preferred hosts. The tournament has been mired in controversy, with its local boss Claude Atcher sacked for presiding over a poor office culture. Atcher also stood trial on corruption charges as part of the prosecution’s case against Laporte and was fined $7800 for his role in the scandal.

Nevertheless, next year’s tournament is on track to deliver a financial bonanza to World Rugby, with tickets selling out this week. It is also expected to be one of the closest competitions fought in the history of the 35-year-old tournament.

Laporte was also key in the 2020 re-election of World Rugby president Bill Beaumont, ousting popular challenger Agustin Pichot in a campaign battle seen as the game’s progressives (Pichot) against the game’s traditionalists (Laporte and Beaumont), who wanted to preserve the status quo.

Rugby Australia had supported Pichot’s reform agenda, disappointed at Beaumont’s failure to deliver new global competition structures, but more recently worked closely with both Beaumont and Laporte to secure hosting rights to the 2027 World Cup and 2029 women’s World Cup.

Altrad and Laporte’s convictions related to a series of business dealings the pair undertook in 2017 and 2018, in which prosecutors successfully argued that Laporte had favoured Altrad in a number of key decisions in return for a $280,000 payment, which was withdrawn when revealed by media.

RELATED ARTICLE
AUSTRALIAN RUGBY: Force, All Blacks await verdict on sponsor’s corruption trial

Laporte was under siege in France from the moment the verdict was handed down, his main rival on the FFR board describing it as an “earthquake” for the game.

“It’s unheard of in rugby, it’s an earthquake. We’ve never seen a federation president sentenced to two years in prison, even if it’s suspended. It’s shocking,” Laporte’s rival Florian Grill told AFP.

The French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra weighed in, saying the conviction “makes it difficult” for Laporte to continue with the FFR when France was preparing “receive nations from all over the world”.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/spo...14-p5c651.html

[jargan83]

There was a similar story on the West Australian's website but it was behind a paywall and I'm not subscribing to that Harvey Norman catalogue


New Zealand Rugby and the Western Force are reviewing their lucrative sponsorship deals with a French construction company after billionaire owner Mohed Altrad was found guilty of corruption and handed an 18 month suspended jail term.

The All Blacks and world champion Black Ferns both wear the Altrad name and logo on the front of their iconic jerseys as part of a six year deal that is reportedly worth "tens of millions" of dollars to NZR.

The Perth-based Force are also sponsored by Altrad after inking a multi-year deal as the club's principal partner.

Altrad - who is also the owner and president of the Montpellier club - was found guilty of corruption in connection with the company's sponsorship of the French national team.

"We have been in discussions on the possibility of this outcome for some time," NZR said.

"With the verdict against Mr Altrad personally now having been handed down, we will be reconvening with representatives from the company immediately – as well as with our key stakeholders."

The Force released a similar statement.

"The Force is in ongoing discussions with the Altrad Group and the club's key stakeholders following the verdict by a French court," the club said.

"The Force takes this matter very seriously and will seek further information from the company. The club will then review its sponsorship with Altrad accordingly."

The scandal also implicated French rugby federation president Bernard Laporte.

Laporte, who is also World Rugby's vice-chairman, was found guilty of passive corruption, influence peddling, illegal interest taking and misuse of corporate assets.

World Rugby announced that Laporte had decided to "self suspend" from the game's governing body.

"While acknowledging Laporte's self suspension and right of appeal, given the serious nature of the verdict World Rugby's executive committee has referred the matter to its independent ethics officer for review in accordance with its integrity code," it said.

France will host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 following a controversial bidding process when South Africa received World Rugby's recommendation, only to lose hosting rights to the French when it came to the voting.

https://amp.nine.com.au/article/78c5...e-c655f0798ced

[Sheikh]

Does this mean we won't get be getting pre-season matches with Montpellier, or access to some of their rising stars?

[shasta]

Does this mean we won't get be getting pre-season matches with Montpellier, or access to some of their rising stars?

Doubt it. Probably just corporate gobbledygook for "we want to look like we're treating this seriously. But without causing such offence that we might lose some bikkies, or have some of the shit-splatter fly in our direction"

"We have been in discussions on the possibility of this outcome for some time," NZR said.

"With the verdict against Mr Altrad personally now having been handed down, we will be reconvening with representatives from the company immediately – as well as with our key stakeholders."

"The Force takes this matter very seriously and will seek further information from the company. The club will then review its sponsorship with Altrad accordingly."

[brokendown gunfighter]

so next season's jersey could be a collector's item

[The InnFORCEr]

so next season's jersey could be a collector's item

Just like the original 2006 model

[The InnFORCEr]

French rugby boss Laporte suspended
Staff Writers
December 20, 2022 3:48AM



Bernard Laporte has been suspended as French Rugby Federation president while he fights a suspended two-year sentence on corruption charges.

Laporte self-suspended as World Rugby vice-chairman last week, within hours of a Paris court finding him guilty of passive corruption, influence peddling, illegal interest taking and misuse of corporate assets.

He was banned from holding any position in rugby for two years but his lawyer Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi said he would appeal the ruling, meaning the former France coach and sports minister could keep the FFR presidency for now.

Laporte refused calls to resign from the French sports minister and the FFR's own ethics committee.

But at a federation board meeting on Monday, Laporte accepted a suspension. He will remain president but suspended until a final ruling in his case. He will no longer take part in decision-making bodies nor sign any commitments on behalf of the FFR.

An interim president will be appointed until Laporte's judicial appeal is finished.

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said Laporte should benefit from the presumption of innocence until a final ruling was reached. But she insisted his sentencing put him in an untenable situation and called on French rugby to act. Laporte is set to meet with the minister on Thursday.

The case focused on Laporte and Mohed Altrad, the owner and president of Montpellier rugby club, who was also found guilty of active corruption, influence peddling, and misuse of corporate assets.

France hosts the Rugby World Cup next year.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/ru...nded-c-9216876