Shortly after his sentence became known (http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/12/13/grave- news-from-france/) Bernard Laporte stood down temporarily from his post as vice-chair of World Rugby.
The implications of the charges against him and his friend Mohed Altrad already prove to be far- reaching.
One underlying problem is for the boards of national unions to be sure they have sufficient depth of knowledge across a wide range of non-rugby activities. Some cynics doubt they have sufficient understanding of the game itself, let alone elsewhere.
World Rugby’s executive committee met in the evening of 13th December, and called on Neil Hallett, the independent member in charge of ethical matters, to investigate this French legal decision as a matter of urgency.
Altrad was found guilty of active corruption, influence peddling and misuse of corporate assets. He was sentenced to an 18-month suspended prison sentence, plus.a €50,000 fine and a suspended ban on operating inside business.
Repercussions around the world
Auckland: One issue concerns New Zealand Rugby. NZR signed a shirt contract with Altrad’s company in August, and the famous black shirts were adorned with his name during the 2021 RWC, as were the grounds. The 6-year contract was alleged to amount to 113 million euros. NZR has urgently convened a high-level committee to discuss all the implications of that agreement.
Dublin: The Irish Times speaks of World Rugby being ‘thrown into crisis’.
Paris: The man who ran unsucessfully against Laporte at the most recent presidential election, Florian Gill, claimed: “It is unheard of in rugby, this is an earthquake. We think the forty members of the board of directors should draw the obvious conclusions and resign.’
Auckland: stuff.co.nz reminds us of another issue: WR recommended South Africa as the hosts of the 2023 RWC; despite that, France won the battle. Given all the alleged underhand dealings, we may wonder how that choice came about. We hardly need mention Qatar in this connection.
Sydney: In the Sydney Morning Herald Georgina Robinson claims that the sentence leaves a void at the heart of World Rugby.
Montpellier: the club Altrad owns, known s MHR for short, hastily asserted it was in no way affected by the proceedings. Altrad would continue to throw all his energies into the club he has owned and developed for around a decade. The women’s section have become recurrent national champions under his leadership.
MHR players representing Frnce at the RWC included: Emeline Gros, Marine and Romane Ménager, Laure Touyé, Ryka Ait Lahbib, Rose Bernadou and Safi N’Diaye. Other test players on their books are Caroline Boujard, Cyrielle Banet and Morgane Peyronnet.
Perth: Western Force, the Australian franchise based in Perth, is another rugby enterprise sponsored by Altrad. It is making urgent investigations into the consequences of the verdict.
Buenos Aires: When the post of Chair of World Rugby came up for election, Laporte sided strongly with Bill Beaumont. Their combined efforts saw Beaumont re-elected; his rival for the job, Agustin Pichot, was seen – not merely in his native Argentina, but across the southern hemisphere – as their unfairly rejected champion. The result (a sort of win for Europe v The Rest) left a bitter taste in many mouths.
Gloucester: The affair even touches English club rugby. Five years ago Altrad made a bid to take a 45% stake (originally 55%) in Gloucester RFC. Premiership Rugby rejected the plan.
We can leave the complexities of the case to the lawyers, but simple questions remain such as: will Laporte be allowed to attend the French 2023 World Cup that he did so much to bring about?
