The 2023-2024 season of the Pro D2 championship will be able to start Thursday evening as planned, with the reception of Colomiers by Biarritz, the Basque club having settled its debts to the French Rugby Federation, confirmed the FFR. “The responsiveness and understanding of all parties will have made it possible to issue Biarritz Olympique Rugby licenses in time to qualify the players for the season which is starting,” said the FFR in a press release.
The BO support association, liable for 117,000 euros to the Federation, “is no longer indebted to the FFR and the Pro D2 championship can therefore begin under normal conditions”, she added. Wednesday, at midday, the FFR had warned in a press release that if an “immediate solution” was not found to settle these arrears of payment, the licenses of the Basque club would not be issued and, consequently, the confrontation with Colomiers in Aguiléra could not take place.
“It is expected that all the clubs have settled their account” before any new season, had dropped the Federation, stressing that the Biarritz Olympique rugby association was “still indebted” to the FFR on the eve of the 2023-2024 edition of the championship.
The professional club reacted immediately, saying it was in good standing with the payment of its licenses and considering itself “held hostage” by its support association. “I’m going through all that,” said Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, president of the SASP, to AFP. “We have paid our licenses for three years to the amateur association”.
In the evening, the BO ended up finding a financial solution, the professional section coming to the aid of the association by paying it the requested sum, in particular in the form of a cash advance, according to a source close to the club questioned by the AFP. In its press release on Thursday, the Federation wanted to “underline the effort” of the two entities at the head of the club “who were able to overcome their differences in the interest of Biarritz rugby”.
The BO had already faced similar uncertainty at the start of the 2022-23 season, before the licenses were issued in extremis “in exchange for a firm commitment” from the club to settle its accounts. Biarritz will therefore receive Colomiers at the start of the season on Thursday (9:00 p.m.).
The Basque club, which signed English center Jonathan Joseph, Welsh scrum-half Rhys Webb and right prop Mohamed Haouas, showed its high ambitions in the offseason, after finishing the previous year in 11th place.
