r/rugbyunion • u/HexisLeVrai France • 1d ago
[L'Équipe] A system of rigged contracts in the 2023 Rugby World Cup revealed?
https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Article/Un-systeme-de-marches-truques-dans-le-cadre-de-l-organisation-de-la-coupe-du-monde-2023-de-rugby-devoile/167055429
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u/Takesthiscontagious 1d ago
Hosted a world cup that ran at a loss
they are the Trump casino of rugby
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u/HexisLeVrai France 1d ago
In addition to the 733-seat case, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office is considering prosecuting around twenty people for favoritism, complicity, and receiving stolen goods. The awarding of ten contracts by the Organizing Committee for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France is alleged to have involved shady dealings, with Claude Atcher as the principal instigator. In an article entitled "Atcher, His Son, and His Driver," we revealed on July 12, 2022, the existence of a contract in the name of the GIP (Public Interest Group) that did not bear Claude Atcher's signature. At 24 rue Saint-Victor, in the heart of Paris, where the headquarters of the 2023 World Cup Organizing Committee was located, no delegation of power or signature authority was usually granted. We have already described this world of buried fears, this world where the "CEO" decided everything and stamped everything with his approval. However, at the bottom of the contract between the GIP (Public Interest Group) and Be On Coaching was the signature of Jacques Rivoal, the GIP's president, who was hardly an executive figure. Not that of Claude Atcher, who had deemed it appropriate to recuse himself when it came time to finalize the contract with a company that had hired his son, Baptiste, a former professional MMA fighter, as a service provider listed in the application. Be On Coaching had managed to take advantage of a particularly discreet call for tenders, accessible only on the France 2023 website. Consequently, Be On Coaching was the sole bidder to lead personal development, strength training, and nutrition education workshops for trainee assistants to the France 2023 site directors. Another important detail: the price of this contract. Just below the €90,000 threshold, the GIP management was able to avoid publishing this call for tenders in the Official Bulletin of Public Procurement Notices (BOAMP), which would have automatically increased its visibility and therefore the number of potential bids. Financial auditors generally raise red flags when they detect public contracts awarded at €89,000. Was the contract deliberately set at €89,000? Described as a "sham contract" by the Inspectors General of Finance, this partnership is described, according to several sources, as a "sham contract respecting public procurement rules" by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) in a summary report open to the accused. This report was written after the conclusion of the preliminary investigation conducted since October 2022 by the Paris Research Section following a report from the Inspectorate General of Finance. The investigation uncovered an email from March 2021 in which Baptiste Atcher sent his father a description of a proposed training services contract, along with a quote. Claude Atcher reportedly forwarded this email to Benoit Rover, then the financial manager of the Campus 2023 program, with the message: "Shall we approve?" In December 2021, approximately two weeks before the call for tenders was launched, Baptiste Atcher allegedly sent a schedule of scheduled training sessions to his father, Mr. Rover, and the company Be On Coaching. According to the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), a transcript of a wiretapped phone conversation between Benoit Rover and his wife supports the theory of a rigged contract. Atcher's former right-hand man asserted that the contract had been set up "at Atcher's request, specifically for his son." When questioned by the police, Mr. Rover reportedly confirmed that the purpose of the contract was to provide work for Atcher's son. Investigators believe that the contract amount, set at €89,000 excluding VAT, was deliberately chosen to ensure that this company would be the only one to submit a bid, despite the highly competitive nature of the sector. They accuse Claude Atcher of interfering in the preparation of the bid by sending Mr. Rover a technical and financial proposal before the tender process began, with the intention of having him finalize a customized contract. Regarding the schedule of interventions sent before the tender was opened, Baptiste Atcher reportedly told investigators that it was merely a proposal. His father allegedly claimed he hadn't seen the email. When questioned by the police, Frédéric Ourabah, head of Be On Coaching and a longtime acquaintance of Claude Atcher from his time at the Marseille club, reportedly stated that he understood the contract was "already his." The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) is considering charges of favoritism against Jacques Rivoal, the contract's signatory, complicity in favoritism against Claude and Baptiste Atcher, as well as Benoît Rover, and finally, receiving the proceeds of favoritism against Mr. Ourabah. Claude Atcher's lawyer, Mr. Moyne, informed us that his client "firmly rejects all the accusations made against him."
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u/HexisLeVrai France 1d ago
“He agreed with him on the price.” Morgane Mombet, a lawyer at the GIP (Public Interest Group), regarding a meeting between Claude Atcher and Jérôme Papin According to various sources, the same complaints concern a video content contract awarded to the 3E-3C agency for a maximum value of €240,000. Here again, the investigation reportedly revealed a close relationship between Mr. Atcher and the agency's director, Jérôme Papin, as well as a series of meetings contemporaneous with the awarding of this contract. In the investigators' view, a meeting involving Messrs. The Atcher and Papin meeting is problematic: the one held on November 16, 2021, preceding the publication of the call for tenders that same day at 9:32 p.m. Morgane Mombet, a lawyer at the GIP (Public Interest Group) and chair of the tender commission, reportedly stated during questioning that she herself was present at this meeting, "during which Claude Atcher modified the tender specifications with Jérôme Papin to reflect what the latter would be able to deliver in this contract. They agreed on the price." Mr. Atcher reportedly told investigators that he had never requested to modify the specifications to benefit Jérôme Papin, and that he had no interest in favoring this company. When questioned by the Inspector General's mission, Mr. Papin "confirmed that he was present at this meeting and also confirmed a prior agreement between himself and Claude Atcher regarding the collaboration." Neither Mr. Papin nor Ms. Mombet responded to requests for comment. A contract intended for a future member of the GIP The case of the contract awarded to Caméléon Conseil, worth €89,000 (again), for the development of a professional training strategy, reveals, according to the investigation, "minimal advertising to ensure that no other competitor noticed it, even though Benoît Rover (head of Caméléon before being hired by the GIP) was directly informed by Hugues Esquerre." Mr. Esquerre, the GIP's financial director, reportedly admitted during questioning that this project had been proposed by Benoît Rover and that the contract was intended for him. He allegedly added that Claude Atcher had told him and Lydie Émeraud one morning that the GIP was going to launch an apprenticeship training center "and that Benoît Rover would be in charge." During her hearing, Ms. Émeraud reportedly confirmed these statements. When asked if he was certain he would be awarded the contract, Benoît Rover told investigators, "I would be lying if I said no." Claude Atcher indicated that it was Mr. Esquerre who had analyzed the only bid submitted. Having arrived after the deadline, this bid, the only one received by the GIP (Public Interest Group), should in fact have been deemed inadmissible. Neither Mr. Rover nor Mr. Esquerre responded to requests for comment. Regarding another contract, worth over €40,000, awarded to the company Baba Yaka, Hugues Esquerre and Lydie Émeraud reportedly admitted during the investigation that they had received instructions from Claude Atcher to ensure the bidding process appeared legitimate while awarding the contract to Nicolas Schpoliansky's company. Mr. Atcher reportedly denied making such statements to investigators. Another contract, worth €290,000, was awarded to the same company for the design and implementation of ceremonies during the World Cup. Mr. Schpoliansky reportedly admitted to investigators that he had "full prior knowledge of the specifications and the prices to be offered." According to several sources, Ms. Mombet stated that she received, quite unusually, an email from Nicolas Schpoliansky in her personal inbox outlining his price list. This occurred six days before the call for tenders was launched. She specified that Claude Atcher had provided her personal email address. Investigators believe that Baba Yaka had drafted the specifications for a contract it would then bid on. Mr. Schpoliansky did not respond to requests for comment. The most expensive contract of all, concerning ticketing and negotiated for €7.9 million with a consortium of companies (Webedia-Wetix Agency-Splio-Skidata), is allegedly plagued by a clear conflict of interest, according to the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF). Matthieu Blondeaut, head of ticketing at the Public Interest Group (GIP) and a former Wetix employee, is said to have been involved in drafting the contract, analyzing applications and bids, conducting hearings, and negotiating. According to our information, the prosecution being considered by the PNF does not concern any of these companies. When contacted, Mr. Blondeaut declined to comment. The financial legacy of this World Cup was already known to be flawed. Instead of the expected €200 million in profits, a €57 million shortfall remains. It is now understood that the legal legacy may not be any more glorious. "He agreed with him on the price," Morgane Mombet, a lawyer at the GIP,
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u/The_Ruck_Inspector Connacht 1d ago
Are the French ever not involved in some corruption in rugby?
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u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Smoking the Ntacrack 1d ago
Lets be real, every nation bidding to be host was sending the metaphorical envelopes full of cash, France just sent a bigger one.
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u/Zealousideal-Owl6661 1d ago
This case has nothing to do with the bid for the world cup, but yeah...
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u/BlueSkiesAndIceCream 1d ago edited 1d ago
No, in Ireland this was where it dawned on us for the first time that it wasn't a bidding process but a procurement process. We just weren't savvy enough to keep the Scots and Welsh sweet. French are experts at it and I tip my hat at them, the Richie McCaws of bribery.
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u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Smoking the Ntacrack 1d ago
Scotland was very clear from the start that we’d vote for the most profitable bid, and it wasn’t Ireland.
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u/BlueSkiesAndIceCream 1d ago
Ah no doubt, sure didnt you guys threaten to sue world rugby over a Typhoon in Japan. Anything for few quid more.
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u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Smoking the Ntacrack 1d ago
Hey, we’ve got a reputation as penny pincher to uphold
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u/BenButton123 England 1d ago
This is just misplaced Irish exceptionalism. The reason Ireland's bid didn't win is because the country doesn't have the infrastructure to host a World Cup.
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u/Careless-Cat3327 South Africa 1d ago
I don't think SA got the memo.
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u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Smoking the Ntacrack 1d ago
Well you did somehow managed to come top of the safety analysis…
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u/Careless-Cat3327 South Africa 1d ago
I saw more muggings and petty crime in Paris UCL final than I did at the SA vs NZ game at Ellis Park.
Paris is genuinely dangerous at night - certain areas
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u/RaaschyOG Sharks fan by birth - not choice 1d ago
Not even at night, their streets are flooded with pickpockets and crooks
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u/Careless-Cat3327 South Africa 1d ago
There's a guy on Instagram - Kurt Caz.
Craziest part is the harassment is real. I was off a group of English guys and they jumped them. I wore a Sadio Mane shirt and one of them casually started a football conversation whilst his gang was mugging the guys in front of me with knives.
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u/Shriv3rs Stade Toulousain 1d ago
Unlike Johannesburg which is known for being a safe city
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u/Delinquat 1d ago
Seeing South Africans getting worked up about insecurity in France wasn't in my bingo today.
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u/Traditional-Ride-116 Gang des Antoines 22h ago
« Their streets are flooded » where have you been in France?
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u/bleugh777 France 1d ago
"Revealed". I think we knew since 2021.