The Stade Français was delighted to find its audience this Friday evening (8:45 p.m.) against Bayonne at the Jean-Bouin stadium.
Especially since after a last exercise to forget, this season could not have started better, with a success in Castres (16-22) and Gonzalo Quesada back at the helm as head coach.
But the gauge of 1,000 people, imposed to fight against the spread of Covid-19, has changed everything.
Thomas Lombard, the general manager of the Parisian club, deplores it and shakes the red cloth by alerting on the worrying situation of French rugby.
For its home premiere, Stade Français will play in front of 1,000 people.
Do you feel annoyed?
THOMAS LOMBARD.
We are already in an economic situation close to strangulation and respiratory arrest so ... Until the announcement of this gauge, we told our supporters who need to return to the stadium after more than six months of absence of a match for Jean-Bouin: “Wait, we will meet again and be able to do something together.
And patatras, everything is shattered.
But this restriction is a matter of public health ...
We agree but it is difficult to understand why we cannot accommodate more than 1000 people in a 20,000-seat stadium while respecting health security.
I proposed to the prefecture that a seat be unoccupied in front of, behind, and on each side of a spectator.
That allowed us to go up to 4500 and to offer a slightly more rugby operation, in the spirit of sport.
I understand everyone's interests and needs but, objectively, we may be safer in an outdoor stadium, with what I was advocating, than in other places where we eat with real proximity and without mask.
How are you going to distribute the 1000 places?
In the most incomprehensible way possible for historical supporters.
It is that of favoring those who bring us the most business since we are on the verge of disaster, economically speaking.
We need to get income
(Editor's note: money)
and those who bring it to us in a substantial way are the people who are in the hospitalities
(Editor's note: with benefits)
and have lodges.
We are forced to arbitrate according to the economic data, we are not the only ones to do it but all that is absolutely unbearable to manage and really raises questions.
The essence of sport is to allow people to come together, to share a moment of conviviality, around a team.
It's not that !
Apart from the partners, there will be no other audience in the stands ...
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Yes. Each of the six supporters' associations will manage the twenty places made available to them, with recommendations for rotation if the situation continues.
Many made sacrifices last season by giving up repayment possibilities to support the club.
Today, we have to tell them: “You are re-engaging and we thank you for it, but we are sorry for this premiere at Jean-Bouin.
We really don't have a choice.
You were talking about an economic situation close to strangulation.
The Stade Français is doing so badly despite its billionaire owner Hans-Peter Wild?
The owner's permanent support since the start of the crisis, and even since he took over Stade Français, has existed.
But a model that loses money does not provide visibility, it must be questioned.
It is not rational to say that a patron will pay off the debts every month until the end of the crisis.
There has to be a little flexibility that needs to be considered and solutions that need to be given.
What do you think they are?
A return to normal if the sanitary situation allows it or acceptable gauges.
There are a number of questions that are being raised by people or around the government for a proportionality of the gauge according to the total capacity of the stadium.
For example, in a stadium with 30,000 seats, we can still say that it is possible to accommodate between 10 and 15,000 people by respecting the daily barrier measures.
Is French rugby really in danger today?
The government has been able to find help. Rugby has also been able to mobilize by involving all stakeholders: the players have made efforts to reduce salaries, the administrative staff as well… But let's face the situation. Since March 1, if I take the example of the Stade Français, not a single euro has entered the coffers. Unlike other sectors of activity, we can no longer benefit from government measures still in effect. Like partial unemployment because players train every day and play on weekends, employees at work. No more exemptions from charges. There are also no funds that have been released for professional sport in general. And the days go by… The survival of the second sport in terms of popularity behind football, which has an anchoring in the territories, is at stake. A World Cup is coming in 2023
(Editor's note: in France)
and it is important to prepare for it. Not to mention the global economy generated by French rugby, with many, many jobs.