Tani Vili and Sipili Falatea, leaving for UBB, reacted virulently to Jean-Michel Guillon’s attacks against them.
On March 10, in the columns of Midi Olympique, the president of ASM, Jean-Michel Guillon, was critical of two players whose contract he decided not to extend, the pillar Sipili Falatea and the three- center quarterbacks Tani Vili (they will join UBB at the end of the season). “We made them an offer. Unlike others, we have also decided not to overbid. You talk about internationals but that is to be put into perspective: they are sometimes called up in the group of 42 players selected by Fabien Galthié in preparation. A group in which there are a lot of rotations. (…) Then, when we form a group for the next 2, 3 or 5 seasons and we work on extensions, we must of course take into account the quality of rugby. The level of these players on the field. But there is also a human dimension to consider. The behavior of each, the complementarity of characters in a group. This is part of the value of a player. At home, we did not see it. We consider both criteria: athletic and behavioral. It is the combination of these two factors that makes the overall value of a player. Regarding these two players, there were things to complain about, on one or the other of the criteria…»
“These particularly violent attacks are in no way justified in view of the quality of our sports performance. »
Tani Vili and Sipili Falatea
Certainly via their lawyer, Sipili Falatea and Tani Vili responded very curtly in the columns of Midol this Friday. «« On March 10, 2022, Midi Olympique published an interview in which Mr. Jean Michel Guillon, president of ASM Clermont Auvergne uses slanderous and unfounded comments against me in a public way. Indeed, these accusations cannot be justified by any inappropriate behavior on my part. In addition, these particularly violent attacks are in no way justified in view of the quality of my sports performance. (…). I can therefore only strongly and firmly contest the choice of such a public decision, to the detriment of a discussion taking place within the framework set by the rules of labor law. “It is very likely that we will not see these two players again in the ASM jersey by the end of the season…
