After a series of twists and turns, the decision is formal, the ASBH (Béziers Hérault Sports Association) will not be bought by Emirati investors, Samir Ben Romdhane and the executive director of Sotaco, Philippe Baillard.
The project was carried out in association with Christophe Dominici. The ex-international winger with a thousand caps, representative of this recovery, was to become the sporting director of the club in the event of redemption. The National Directorate of Aid and Management Control (DNACG), the financial gendarme of the Rugby League, ruled, on Monday, July 13, that the financial guarantees were not met to carry out this buyout. The club remains in the hands of co-chairs Cédric Bistué and Pierre-Olivier Valaize.
"Restoring Béziers its letters of nobility"
Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, did not hide his disappointment. In an interview with RMC, he mentioned certain blockages: “The discussion broke down on a check made by one of the representatives of Sotaco International, a personal check, but the DNACG demanded that it be a cashier's check. "The mayor of the city also judges that" the words of Christophe Dominici [...] did not participate to give credibility to the offer. "
In a Sotaco press release, Philippe Baillard, tipped to become the president of the club in the event of a takeover, writes: "Our project was simple: to give Béziers back its nobility with our friends Yannick Pons, the child of the country, and Christophe Dominici, the child of rugby. […] We came in peace and are leaving in the same way, ”he concludes.
Fear of relegation
The Biterroise sports association, eleven times champion of France between 1961 and 1984, faces serious financial difficulties. The ASBH, which operates in Pro D2, must now obtain the validation of their accounts before the DNACG, which receives the co-chairs this Thursday, July 16. If the club does not find the necessary funds by then (1.75 million euros), it may well be demoted to amateur.
