The solid player collapses to the ground. After twenty minutes of play, the left foot of Geoffrey Fabbri remains planted in the synthetic turf of the Charles-Mathon stadium in Oyonnax, the club that made him known the Top 14 in the middle of the decade. Victim of a fractured malleolus, the second line of Provence Rugby is evacuated on a stretcher. On January 10, the 28-year-old just played his only game of the year 2020. But for a few weeks, he believed it would be the last meeting of his career.
At the end of his contract with the Pro D2 club based in Aix-en-Provence, Geoffrey Fabbri is not extended and finds himself unemployed at the end of a season cut off from his last confrontations by the health crisis. He is far from the only one. Provale, union of professional rugby players, saw the number of unemployed explode, passing the 100 mark in July, where they were 30% less at the same time last season. An increase linked to the economic crisis caused by the consequences of Covid-19.
"The clubs have no visibility and are suspended from government announcements on the ticket office," explains Mathieu Giudicelli, general manager of Provale. They prefer to wait and that affects their recruitment. In our list, we have both Pro D2 players and internationals. The most famous of the lot? The back Benjamin Fall, 15 selections for the Blues, the hooker Jean-Charles Orioli, triple European champion with Toulon, or the former three-quarters of Toulouse Maxime Mermoz.
"I realized that unemployment could fall on me"
"I realized that unemployment, it could also fall on me, and that our activity was precarious, explains Geoffrey Fabbri, who has just signed a pre-contract with Nice, who is playing in the new National division, at the third level. hexagonal. I took a month and a half to find a club, I went through all the emotions. The situation is difficult, there are a lot of players on the market. And, then, my injury was not helping me. At one point, when I saw that it wasn't moving, I thought about stopping and turning to the butcher's job. "
If the trend is particularly strong in rugby, with income closely linked to ticketing, other athletes are also worried about their future prospects. French football has not seen an increase in its number of unemployed, but the very specific transfer window of this season complicates the task of the some 200 players available. Closed since July 9, it will reopen on August 10 to extend until October 5. This leaves unemployed players afraid of being called upon only in the fall, to play the adjustment variables once the traditional market has closed.
"I can see that it's not the easiest year to be free," describes midfielder Jordan Adeoti, without a club after three seasons at Auxerre. The clubs are waiting, even if there are good opportunities to do since we don't cost anything and we sometimes have significant experience. I remain reachable seven days a week, I hope that will come because I have keys. But here, what I miss the most is the field. "
For the first time in thirty years, the unemployed do not have the opportunity to play games this summer. Health constraints forced the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) to cancel its traditional internship. "It allowed them to face professional teams, they will miss this exhibition," said the general manager of the union, Philippe Lafon. It was also intended to recreate the spirit of a club. We sent out physical preparation programs, but we also offered moments of discussion with our mental trainer. They should not be left isolated. "
A salary divided by three
"The athletes concerned have gone from a locker room atmosphere to the isolation generated by confinement and then to this social isolation," describes Mathieu Giudicelli. When you see photos of friends on social networks who attack their preparation course when you are alone at home, it hurts. We call them once a week to check that everything is going well and ask if they have any leads. "
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The crisis has forced some rugby players to go down one level. In Nice, Geoffrey Fabbri will receive a salary three times lower than his Provence Rugby emoluments. “I could have earned more money by staying on sick leave, but I wanted to relaunch myself with this project, underlines the second line. Even though I must be financially tough, I want to play rugby again. "