Promoted to Pro D2 at the end of a successful season, Nissa Rugby must now convince the Rugby Regulatory Authority (A2R). The Nice club is summoned Friday before the disciplinary committee and risks a ban from championship participation in the absence of financial guarantees.
The future of Nissa Rugby in Pro D2 will be decided in part Friday morning. The Nice club received, this Monday, an official summons before the disciplinary committee of the Rugby Regulatory Authority (A2R), the financial watchdog of the National Rugby League (LNR).
This decision comes a few days after the resignations of Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, president of the SASP, and Patrice Prévot, president of the association. These departures highlighted a financial disagreement between the club and local authorities, while several questions remain about the means necessary to compete in the next Pro D2 season. The city of Nice nevertheless renewed its financial support this week, shortly after the announcement of the resignations, indicating it intends to “continue to support the club and remain fully mobilized.”
The file notably concerns the renovation of Marcel-Volot stadium. Work has reportedly been stopped for several weeks. Here too the municipality announced it had spent nearly 500,000€, “in order to allow Nissa Rugby to meet the obligations imposed by the National Rugby League and to allow it to compete in Pro D2.” Among the work undertaken, there is talk of modernizing the stadium’s sound system, adding a giant screen and also renovating the pitch.
On the other hand, there is no question of the stadium’s capacity. The absence of new stands would represent a loss of revenue that was to be offset by financial commitment from the municipality. This principal agreement, mentioned after the promotion to Pro D2, remains at the heart of discussions today. Recall that the previous administration voted for the construction of a new stadium at Arboras in 2029, which should not have a real impact on the current situation given that the club has already competed in Pro D2 two seasons ago in these same facilities.
The Alpes-Maritimes department, under the presidency of Charles Ange Ginésy, also reiterated all its support in recent weeks, stating: “We will be there, we were in 2024, we maintained it in 2025 (…) count on me as department president, count on Eric Ciotti, also in the department and president of the finance commission, to advocate and ensure that the funds arrive.”
An administrative sanction remains possible
Friday, the leaders will have to present sufficient financial guarantees to obtain validation of Nissa Rugby’s participation in Pro D2. The legal representatives of the club may not be present to defend their interests. Evidence that the situation may already be lost.
In case of guarantees deemed insufficient, the A2R could pronounce a ban on Pro D2 participation, with the consequence of administrative relegation. The success achieved on the field against Mont-de-Marsan on May 31 (31-26) would then no longer be enough to secure the club’s place in the second tier of the Top 14.
In this case, Mont-de-Marsan could be reprieved. According to several reports, the Landes club has already contacted the LNR to find out the procedures and timeline for a possible reprieve. A situation similar to the one Nissa Rugby experienced last year with the potential demotion of Biarritz Olympique, previously managed by… Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, without seeing any causal link.
Any possible sanction would not, however, immediately end the matter. An appeal procedure would give Nissa Rugby an additional period of approximately two weeks to provide new financial guarantees and continue exchanges with the relevant local authorities.
Having validated its promotion to Pro D2 on the field, the Azure club must now overcome the administrative hurdle. The coming weeks will be decisive in determining whether Nissa Rugby will indeed start the championship or whether the promotion gained on the field will come to nothing.
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