At the heart of the turmoil, Fabien Galthié is doing well.
Suspected of being at the origin of the massive infection within the XV of France (17 cases in all) to be out of the health bubble set up around the Blues to be able to participate in the Six Nations Tournament, the French coach has been cleared of all responsibilities in the internal report produced by the FFR at the request of the Ministry of Sports.
He is not the zero patient at the origin of the cluster, this was announced Wednesday on RTL, Roger Salamon, former president of the High Council of Public Health which heads the medical commission of the federation.
“He's not patient zero, that's virologically obvious, from the distance he went to see his son, and the distance from which there were first cases.
I'm not saying that to defend him, he doesn't need to be defended, but I'm saying that, because it's the truth.
"
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In accordance with the line of defense of the federation for several days, it is a player of the France team at 7, training partner, who is said to be at the origin of the massive infection in Marcoussis.
Galthié - who was "a suspicious case" on February 17, the day of the announcement of the first positive case (a physical trainer) and then positive the next day - has yet left Marcoussis, to attend a match of his son in Paris.
"In my report, I put it at the beginning, it is perfectly clear that what he did, whatever one might think, he had the right to do it and there was no particular risk", continues Roger Salamon.
A line of defense that risks making people cringe.
Because the sanitary bubble sold to the Ministry of Sports to be able to participate in the Tournament was ultimately not one.
Not in the strict sense, like the one implemented last season in the NBA or during the last Australian Open tennis tournament.
There, the delegation was in preparatory training in Nice (in one of the regions most affected by the virus), players were able to come and go to the CNR depending on the various injuries and, more seriously, the players were allowed to leave. from their hotel in Rome before, for some, to be seen eating waffles in the streets, the day before Italy-France.
Another member of the medical commission of the FFR, Professor Éric Caumes, head of the infectious diseases department at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, repeated to RMC that the French breeder "is not at the origin of the dysfunction ".
Immediately providing nuances on the concept of health bubble set up for rugby players.
“The sanitary protocol was respected and the conditions for entering and leaving the bubble were also respected.
Unfortunately, the bubble is not foolproof.
The fact of being tested negative before entering the bubble is not a guarantee of 100% effectiveness, as we could see during this episode of the XV of France, but also in other circumstances. and other sports.
If you want to have a sanitary bubble as tight as possible, there is no other possibility than to enforce a quarantine of fourteen days before entering it.
"
Clumsy argument
The FFR is walking on eggshells.
The conclusions of the Minister for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, who had not hidden her annoyance in recent days are now awaited.
After having read and analyzed this report on Wednesday, she will meet with the FFR on Thursday.
Before reacting publicly.
The FFR seems sure of its rights.
Professor Éric Caumes did not hesitate to confide to RMC: “We do not see what could happen.
I even wonder why this report was commissioned.
There was no investigation to find out how Emmanuel Macron caught the Covid.
"An argument, rather clumsy, which comes back regularly to defend the health measures put in place around the Blues ...
After two victories against Italy and Ireland, the XV of France must now go to Twickenham on March 13 to challenge England.
Will the beautiful dynamic be affected by this extra-sports turbulence?
Tensions would have arisen between the coach and his troops, who according to L'Équipe would have been directly threatened by Laporte in the event of leaks in the press.
“Fabien, he will do the 2023 World Cup, you, I don't know.
If I hear that one of you swings on the outside, I'll fire him, ”he would have launched to the players.
Funny atmosphere in Marcoussis.
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