French plan to foil cup boycott
05/04/2007 |
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Bernard Lapasset, the chairman of the French Federation, is ready to launch a last-minute bid today to avert a boycott of the Heineken Cup next season.
He is expected to tell his militant clubs that he will cut some central funding if they carry out their boycott threat in a dispute over share-holding. If the French clubs vote for the boycott then they already have the backing of their English counterparts.
Lapasset could yet sway the vote because federation officials said yesterday he had the power to cut funding (approx £1.5 million) from a £8.5 million-deal drawn up to compensate the French clubs for the loss of players during the World Cup next autumn.
Under French law, Lapasset, as the sport's leading official, has executive power to veto any new tournament the French clubs draw up to replace the Heineken Cup.
Keith Barwell, owner of Northampton, has said that relegation from the Premiership could be scrapped to make up for the loss of European games.
"Whether we do that by bringing in another domestic cup competition or whether we extended the Premiership, these are options that the clubs are looking at," he said.
(Source: Telegraph.co.uk)
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