A defiant Bernard Laporte has refused to resign as President of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) despite being under extreme political pressure to do so.
Last Tuesday, the former coach was convicted of corruption charges and given a two-year suspended sentence and £64,300 fine. The verdict led to calls for him to step down from the Federation's own Ethics Committee and France's Sports Minister.
However, the 58-year-old has continued to insist he's innocent and has vowed to appeal the sanctions. The charges relate to his dealings with Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier whose company became the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national shirts in 2017.
Laporte was also serving as vice-chair of World Rugby, a role he has bizarrely suspended himself from temporarily. The organisation has also confirmed its ethics officer is investigating the man who led his country to World Cup semi finals in 2003 and 2007.
But despite mounting calls for him to resign from the FFR, he told the Journal du Dimanche he "does not see" a reason to step away He simply acknowledged: "They (his critics) have the right to say what they want."
A Paris court ruled that Laporte could not hold any position of authority in the sport for two years following their verdict. They found him guilty of illegal taking of interest, influence peddling, passive corruption and embezzlement.
However, because of Laporte's subsequent appeal, the suspension remains on hold. And the whole saga is plunging French rugby into further crisis less than nine months out from hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Altrad was also found guilty of active corruption, influence peddling and abuse of corporate assets, and handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence. He was also fined £43,500.
His company logo still features on the national shirts due to a deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018, one which prosecutors argued bears all the hallmarks of corruption. They'd initially called for Laporte to be handed a three-year prison sentence, with two years suspended.
