While the Top 14 semi-final weekend will open in Bordeaux (Toulouse-La Rochelle this Friday, Stade Français-UBB Saturday), “a big party to come in a sold-out stadium for both matches », the general director of the LNR, Emmanuel Eschalier, mentioned some hot issues.
On supporters who couldn’t find tickets for the Top 14 semis
In recent days, supporters, notably Bordelais and Rochelais, have regretted not having found tickets for the semi-finals. And point out quotas of places which they believe are too low allocated by clubs present in the last square. Emmanuel Eschalier explains: “We understand the frustration of supporters who would have wanted to support their team but who could not find tickets. Notably the people of Bordeaux, who are at home, and the people of Rochelle, who are right next door. However, it is a classic operation, our objective is to respond to a huge demand from fans who want to come and spend the entire weekend in Bordeaux regardless of the teams in the running. Proof of this is that there were 3,000 tickets sold in Haute-Garonne, 2,500 in Charente-Maritime, in addition to the quota of 2,500 places made available to the clubs. So there will be many more than 2,500 supporters of each team. »
“As for the people of Bordeaux, let’s not talk about it, there are thousands of people who bought their tickets from Gironde,” continues Eschalier. Quotas are calculated based on the reality of figures from previous seasons. In 2019, during the last semi-finals in Bordeaux, the quota was 3,000 places per club, they were 85% used, that is to say 2,500 on average. We are not very far from the truth in terms of the marketing capacity in a very short time frame (six days for clubs that win the play-offs, two weeks for those that qualify directly). »
On Fabien Galthié’s project for managing premium players
Two weeks ago, the coach of the French team Fabien Galthié revealed in our columns his project for co-management of “premium” players from the Blues. A few days later, René Bouscatel, president of the LNR, reacted in La Dépêche, saying he was “surprised” by this outing, “because we are in the middle of negotiations”.
Emmanuel Eschalier adds: “There is an agreement signed until 2027, with principles of provision which are the same as those applied during the four years preceding the 2023 World Cup. The dialogue is still open, proof There was an amendment signed in January for the 2024 Tournament and the tour to Argentina. And there are ongoing discussions about the next three seasons. They concern the management of executive players, but also other subjects. »
“There is France Développement. There are also the conditions of collaboration around the France U20 team during the Six Nations period which is complicated. Young U20 players are playing more and more in the Top 14, the period of the Tournament can allow them to have playing time. This has created some difficulties this year, we are discussing with the Federation to find a mode of operation that is fluid and adapted to the situation. There is also the adaptation of the calendars for the 2026-2027 season, the first year of the Nations Cup, with a Tournament shortened by one week. »
On the Club World Cup project
“This is a subject managed by the EPCR (organizer of the European Cups) on behalf of the three European leagues. It’s exciting but complex. On the sporting aspect, the format is more or less stabilized, then there are a lot of commercial and organizational subjects that need to be dealt with. The work is in progress. The envisaged date is 2028, Dominic McKay (president of the EPCR) announced. It should just be remembered that this project does not result in additional matches in the calendar. »
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/37DU733BWJEZXEXS6ECVPAYIPY.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
