FFR to probe damning report into Rugby World Cup

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has acknowledged the conclusions of a report from the Cour des Comptes, France’s supreme audit institution, which has strongly criticised the organisation of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The FFR said it “cannot ignore the harsh findings” made by the Cour against the governance of the local organising committee (GIP), along with the management of the hospitality programme, GIE Hospitalité & Voyages.

Members of the GIE and GIP are taking “all necessary steps” to seek the responsibility of the former directors, the FFR said in a statement. This process will be regularly monitored by the FFR.

The report from the Cour highlights serious structural failures, a lack of transparency, and poorly assessed financial commitments. The report states that the FFR is expected to record a net loss of €13m (£11.2m/$14.5m) from the tournament, and this figure could rise to €29m.

Before the tournament, it had been hoped that the World Cup could bring in at least €68m for the FFR. For comparison, the 2007 World Cup in France generated €33m in profit.

Claude Atcher, who was sacked as chief executive of the GIP in October 2022 – a year before the start of the World Cup – has been singled out for criticism in the report, which also said that the FFR and the French government must bear some of the responsibility.

Pierre Moscovici, first president of the Cour, also pointed the finger at ex-FFR president Bernard Laporte, claiming he gave a “blank cheque” to Atcher. Laporte resigned as FFR president in January 2023 after receiving a two-year suspended prison sentence for corruption offences.

The report found that World Rugby, in contrast to the FFR, achieved the “best financial result in its history”.

In May last year, an impact study commissioned by the French Ministry of Sport and produced by professional services firm EY found that France’s staging of the tournament generated €1.8bn of spend and a net input for the host country of €871m.

Headline figures include that estimated public funding (€70m) for security, stadiums and fan zones was more than covered by tax revenue generated by the event (€84m). There were said to be 425,000 international visitors (72% from Europe) staying 10 days on average in France and spending €170 a day. Some 39% of the total tourist spend benefitted local communities outside of the host cities showcasing France 2023’s nationwide positive impact.