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To play or not to play? Top 14
clubs are threatening to strike
Photo: Michael Paler |
France’s
Top 14 clubs are threatening strike action this weekend in
response to the Government’s plans to phase out the DIC –
the controversial
Droit à l'Image Collectif, a tax loophole
which effectively allows clubs to treat 30% of a player’s
salary as image rights.
Plans to halt the tax break were recently
delayed from December 31 2009 to June 30 2010, but that
hasn’t placated the powerful club presidents who say the
closure of such a system will have a huge financial impact.
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal recently
estimated that it would cost his club up to an additional
€1m per season, and was on the Perpignan pitch protesting
with Catalan president Paul Goze at the two clubs’ recent
Top 14 fixture.
Now news has emerged of a weekend meeting in
Toulouse attended by 11 representatives from Top 14 clubs
and six from ProD2 – under the auspices of the UCPR - at
which they tentatively agreed the possibility of strike
action. Fifteen of the 17 clubs voted for immediate strike
action and subsequently called for an extraordinary general
meeting of the NRL in Paris on Tuesday where they could
ratify their proposals.
“We are not heard, we must therefore take
drastic measures,” said Stade Francais president Max
Guazzini.
The potential strike could also affect ProD2
clubs and fixtures as the presidents take a hard line on an
issue which is threatening to overshadow the on-field
action.
If the strike goes ahead the games would not
be postponed, but rather all clubs would receive one point
each and the fixtures effectively cancelled.
The financial loss could be severe, with such
high profile clashes as the Paris derby between Stade
Francais and Racing-Metro 92, Toulon against Brive, Clermont
Auvergne versus Biarritz and Castres against Stade
Toulousain all falling victim to the strike action.
The current tax break was created in 2004 to
help French football clubs compete with the wealthier
English and Spanish leagues, but has been used in both rugby
and basketball since.
The recently agreed abolition of the law has
sparked protest from both the national football and rugby
leagues – the LFP and the LNR – with the two bodies decrying
affect it will have.
It remains to be seen how much public support
the clubs have – especially those like Toulon and Stade
Francais which have multi-millionaire owners – although
there is genuine concern that smaller teams could be forced
out of business.
A 12-strong Government panel is also due to
meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue, although it will
only have an advisory role.
LNR president Pierre-Yves Revol remains
hopeful of avoiding a strike.
In a separate Racing-Metro 92 has issued a
press release confirming that it has filed a complaint to
the European Commission in Brussels over the player quota
agreement signed last season between the LNR and the FFR.
According to this agreement – called the JIFF – 50% of the
players in all professional squads will have to have come
through the clubs’ academies by 2010/11, with that figure
rising to 70% the following season.
Racing
present Jack Lorenzetti said the new rule would prevent
clubs like his being truly competitive. “This is not good
for anyone, and certainly not for rugby,” he said.
