In terms of sponsorship, we call it a big hit. In a statement released this Friday morning, the New Zealand Rugby Federation (NZR) announced that the French construction equipment specialist has committed for a six-year period. The group led by the billionaire of Syrian origin Mohed Altrad, already owner of the Montpellier club in Top 14, will replace in January the American insurer AIG on the prestigious black tunic, long remained without any sponsor. It will also appear on that of the women's rugby union team, the Black Ferns, as well as four other New Zealand selections (rugby sevens men and women, Maori, under 20).
"
Thanks to Altrad's support and international presence, we will continue to build our world heritage in rugby,
" said NZR boss Mark Robinson, quoted in the press release.
Mohed Altrad said he was "
proud to start a long-term partnership and to start leaving a lasting mark in sport
".
“
Rugby conveys values that I have always defended throughout my life.
New Zealand rugby is the embodiment of these values on and off the pitch,
”he added.
The amount of this sponsorship remains confidential
Become one of the greatest French fortunes after having made a modest Hérault scaffolding company into a world empire, Mohed Altrad was born in the Syrian desert, on an undetermined date between 1948 and 1951. Fruit of the rape by a chief from the tribe of a Bedouin teenager who died of grief, the orphan, a good student, won a scholarship from the Syrian government to study in Montpellier, the city of his "
second birth
", where he arrived in 1970, without speaking French and penniless.
This amateur tennis player bought the local rugby club in 2011, then on the verge of bankruptcy, before his group became in 2018 the first sponsor to register his name on the jersey of the XV of France, for more than 5 million euros per year. The amount disbursed to be displayed on that of the All Blacks was not disclosed, but Mohed Altrad told
L'Équipe
in April
that "
the amounts before or after the pandemic (were) no longer the same.
".
The agreement announced Friday comes four months after the sale, for 280 million dollars (230 million euros), of shares of the All Blacks brand to American investors, the Silver Lake fund. A choice that had been debated in New Zealand, some accusing the NZR, very affected by the health crisis, of "
selling the soul
" of the triple world champions, national pride in the country. "
People feel that something that is precious to them has been soiled and treated like a commodity,
" the president of the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA ) David Kirk, captain of the New Zealand selection during his first world title in 1987.
“
We are wondering about our contract with the France team.
Can we make efforts on both teams or should we favor one?
"
Mohed Altrad
The opening match of the 2023 World Cup in France, between the Blues and the All Blacks, will not pose a problem because no shirt partner is allowed during the competition. But subsequently, the problem is likely to arise. Unless… “
We are wondering about our contract with the France team. It is not '' straightforward '' because having the same sponsor of two major rugby nations has never been seen. Is it justified to make efforts on both teams, should one favor one?
“, Wondered Mohed Altrad in April. Before confiding a fear to the Figaro: "
If we are not selected by the XV of France during the renewal in 2023, how will the French public feel that? You know, people often make shortcuts. "Altrad, the traitor, after all that France has done for him, he lets down the France team…" It's a question, a concern for me, that ...
"
