In recent weeks, Nice Premium has reported on the evolution of rugby in Nice, and some of the articles have sparked a flurry of comments, some of which were removed due to their violent and defamatory nature. While tomorrow, the city of Nice is set to unveil a sculpture titled “The Anti-Values of Rugby,” as a prelude to the Rugby World Cup, which will take place in New Zealand from September 9 to October 23, 2011, high tackles are raining behind the scenes. It is in response to an interview given to Jean-François Tordo that the president of Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur explains the reasons for such a full-on attack. Attention, touch, stop… Come in!!!
With the more than evocative title “We Are Killing Nice Rugby,” the former member of Racing Rugby Club of Nice and the French team blasts the current management of Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur and particularly its President, Christian Baldacchino, and its manager, Marc-André Domergue.
A full-on rucking that forced Christian Baldacchino to respond in his own name, but also on behalf of the club, which he claims is largely targeted by the allegations of the article (see bottom of the page).
It’s true that, true to his fiery character, the shaggy-haired Nissart doesn’t mince words (but was the pen really his or that of Catilina, who has been working for a long time to destabilize the club?), and we learn in no particular order that the former back-rower was reportedly solicited by the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, but that, according to him, the club didn’t want him.
In short, it’s heavy-hitting on almost every line, but the most astounding thing is that we learn a certain Paul White was ready to park his tinted-window sedan again in the Arboras parking lot. The administrative court will be surprised to see the Anglo-Saxon “businessman” back as a shareholder of a new SASP while the old one is barely buried with a significant debt!
The sky darkens a bit more over Nice Rugby, which certainly did not need this a few weeks before the opening of the federal 1 season.
Moreover, this kind of affair has had the immediate effect of cooling potential investors (to our knowledge, one of them withdrew after reading the Midol article for fear of facing a too-conflictual environment within the club). Of course, other avenues are being explored, but nothing concrete is currently making future projections, whether short or long-term, difficult if not impossible.
What is certain, however, is that a season is looming, and the competitors will once again be formidable with the likes of Montauban, Saint-Etienne, Bourg en Bresse, or even the Var neighbors from La Seyne. A starting grid of very high level where false starts and going off-track won’t be forgiven in a race where the Azuréens could still dream of the play-offs, whereas in a few weeks, it’s more about survival being discussed on the Arboras side.
And now…
The solutions are not many, and the arrival of an investor seems to be the one that would reassure everyone, both at the club and at city hall. But the reality is that sports patrons do not just appear out of nowhere, especially not within the terraces of a rugby club playing at this level. Furthermore, if probable potential investors find themselves confronted with a fratricidal struggle even before their arrival at the club, it will not be easy to manage a season that is likely to be very long both mentally and physically.
It still remains necessary to find a real solution to balance the budget. The city hall’s language is clear, indicating that the community will engage based on the budgets found by the club, while on the club’s side it’s all hands on deck waiting for the hypothetical arrival of a rugby savior.
Several avenues are being investigated, not ignoring the fact that the club is forced to cope with its current team, which, although it has shown value and courage after the liquidation of the SASP, doesn’t have all the skills and qualities to face one or more seasons with a pro squad to manage. You don’t just become a marketing director, accountant, or even a communicator!
So, another capricious bounce for a Nice rugby still as ill from its animosities and plots, far removed from the essential values of this sport where everyone attacks and everyone defends… at the same time!
Click on the logo to read the Midi Olympique article
