Florian Grill: “We have work to do to get back on track”, Jegou-Auradou affair, amateur rugby and elections, the president of the FFR confides

The president of the French Rugby Federation, Florian Grill, has had to deal with an unprecedented crisis in French rugby since the incidents in Argentina. MAXPPP – SEBASTIEN LAPEYRERE

The president of the French Rugby Federation, Florian Grill, is running for re-election on October 19. This is an opportunity to take stock and, above all, to discuss the current events affecting French rugby, marked by the Jegou-Auradou affair.

You have made your candidacy official for the Federation election (October 19). What is the project??

We want to continue to implement what we have been doing for a year. We had initially planned to hold a press conference, which we decided to cancel given current events.

In one year, we have initiated a whole series of reforms that must be implemented. The goal is to make them a reality, even if there are some files that he is already proud of.

As ?

The insurance file. We managed to renew it without any increase, with the same guarantees, while the last contract dated back four years and there has been inflation in the meantime. All Federations generally see their insurance contract increase by almost 25%. So for the clubs, it is very important.

We have heard a lot about the Federation's 40 million structural deficit over the next two years. Where are we??

Indeed, there is a structural deficit in the Federation which is of the order of 17 million euros per year. And contrary to what I was told the day after the World Cup, when I was told that the GIE (Economic Interest Group) Hospitalité would earn 5 million euros, in reality, the GIE is losing 35 million euros. And since we are a 55% shareholder in the GIE, this impacts our accounts by an additional 19 million euros.

We have a plan to restore the Federation's accounts over the next three years. We want to do this without any impact on the clubs, on the one hand. And without a social plan at the Federation. But yes, the financial situation is complicated.

You have done a lot of groundwork in the last year…

(He cuts in) For more than seven years and my election to the Board of Directors. Because I believe that this is where it happens, that you have to be in contact with amateur rugby. I have been a licensed FFR player or volunteer manager for 40 years.

You stressed the considerable work that needs to be done on institutions to promote rugby. The latest events affecting French rugby do not speak in its favour…

Yes, I discuss with the State, but also with the departmental councils, the regions. Despite current events, I continue to think about what comes next. It is not because of a few bad examples that we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I continue to think that rugby is an opportunity for society and that rugby builds. I see the work of tens of thousands of volunteers, from our 2000 clubs, they teach the values ​​of respect to kids.

Unfortunately, there is at least one proven counter-example with the remarks made by Melvyn Jaminet. There is at least one excess of alcohol (Jégou-Auradou affair) and justice will decide if it is worse for the two players who are now under house arrest. It is not up to me to judge in place of the Argentine justice system, which must be respected. Even though I insist on saying that there is a presumption of innocence for both players after having insisted that the complainant be heard.

That's a lot of excesses in a short time…

But I still think that rugby brings something positive to society. But we are also a reflection of it. We see abuses, no more and no less than in other sports and in society in general, which is a tough and very fragmented society. Problems of alcohol, cocaine, etc. Rugby is not spared, but rugby is not at the heart of all this either.

“We deal with problems by tackling them head on and with complete transparency”

You said you wanted to stop sweeping the dust under the carpet, to deal with the problems. That is to say, ?

Yes, because for decades now, rugby has been experiencing excesses. Everyone knows the various events that have punctuated the life of rugby. Including the time when Guillaume Guirado, for example, was captain of the French team (excesses in Scotland during the 2018 Six Nations Tournament).

We were sweeping the dust under the carpet and not telling the truth. I think rugby is not spared.

How are you going to act ?

Last February, well before the events in Argentina, we had initiated with the National Rugby League, with Provale (the players' association), a working group on addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which exist in rugby.

We also launched a very concrete 30-point anti-violence plan in June.

We deal with problems by tackling them head-on and with complete transparency. And yes, that's exactly what I did, including during the Argentina period. Because it's important to tell the truth. And we have a duty of transparency. We will not deal with the issues by hiding them.

Some of your opponents criticize you for the absence of a federal elected official in Argentina at the time of the excesses. What do you tell them??

I tell them that there was a manager and a head of delegation. That Baptiste Serin rang the end of the evening by ordering taxis for everyone, as was planned, that the taxis returned to the hotel. And there are no managers who stand outside the hotel door all night long to point out the entry and exit times.

And if players decide of their own accord to leave after… We are dealing with players who are well paid, adults, professionals, who wear the rooster. If they decide, despite the instructions, to leave, I do not want to make a mistake about who is responsible. The responsibility lies with the players. It is not that of the staff, the managers.

Être digne, respectueux et bienveillant ça n’est pas une fin en soi mais c’est quand même très important pour gérer une telle crise
Les événements sont dramatiques mais je suis content qu’ils soient gérés par Florian Grill. pic.twitter.com/REQOpVainH

— Janoh Mulo (@RomainIssart) July 14, 2024

What types of sanctions will you apply ?

What is wrong with the federal system is that there are no sanctions provided for that. So we are collectively thinking about it. We want to involve the players, the staff, the clubs, including the professional clubs, who are subject to the same types of problems.

And I explained that the sanctions, as far as we are concerned, could be both financial sanctions, since there are bonuses for participating in meetings with the French team. And then sporting sanctions, as we did for Melvyn Jaminet. He was suspended as a precautionary measure and sent back to France.

But the sporting sanctions could go as far as a temporary or permanent exclusion from the French team depending on the seriousness of the facts.

What is the latest news from Argentina ?

The latest news is the residential placement which ensures a dignified and secure imprisonment, in quotes, for young people. Which would not have been the case in the Mendoza prison where the risks were significant.

That's why we did what was necessary to advance funds and help find legal support for the families. What mattered to me was not to add drama to drama. Imagine if something had happened to the two incriminated players in prison, it would have been dramatic.

That's why Jean-Marc Lhermet (in charge of the French teams) and I had a pretty exhausting week. We did what was necessary so that the Federation would not take sides, because it's the justice system that will decide, but we wanted everything to be as secure as possible. And we have confidence in the Argentine justice system.

How did you feel about the France group in Argentina during this period ?

With Jean-Marc, we told Fabien (Galthié, coach), the staff and the players: “Everyone has their own swimming lane". You focus on the tour, out of respect for the Uruguayan Federation and the Argentine Federation. And you take us out of the big matches. Frankly, I think that was the case.

And Jean-Marc and I, on the other hand, took charge of coordinating the rest: contacting the embassy, ​​the consulate, the families' lawyers. We relied on Agustin Pichot or Rodrigo Roncero in several steps. We have struggled to try to frame all this as best as possible and to respond transparently to the press.

This extra-sporting event is dramatic for the image of rugby. As someone who spends four days a week in amateur rugby clubs, I know that rugby is not like that. The way rugby is built and builds life paths is not what we saw here. But it is true that in terms of image, we have work to do to get back on track and we are working on it transparently.

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