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French League president aiming to change the face of world club rugby
French league president Serge Blanco has warned European Rugby Cup (ERC), the organisers of the Heineken Cup, that his teams could boycott the competition in the 2007/8 season, according to reports from France.
In a long interview with France's Midi-Olympique newspaper, Blanco said that he wanted a change in the way the cup was organised.
The discussions over how the qualification to the European Cup - and the shareholding between the six countries involved - will be shared from 2007 onwards have begun, with the current format in place until June of 2007 only.
Currently, the share of representation in the competition is set up on the basis of the Paris accord, with two representatives from each country on the board of ERC, but Blanco, who is supported in English quarters as well, has suggested that English and French clubs who hold the big money should take over the organisation of the competitions after 2007.
The French also want the qualification from the Celtic League reduced, so that only six teams can qualify for the Heineken Cup directly.
"We could boycott the European Cup," Blanco was quoted as saying.
"The clubs will not lose money in the event of a boycott over the season 2007/8. We can do without the European Cup.
"We would take our losses, and we will gain dates for the calendar."
The French have support from England, and apparently from Italy, but not from the Celtic Nations, with Ireland particularly opposed to the proposed changes - originally proposed by Premier Rugby - describing them as "insulting". A meeting is scheduled for April 11 to try and resolve the differences, with the Irish - who have clubs perennially present in the quarter-finals at the very least - seen as the main obstacle to change.
"In ten years of European competition, there have been five English victories, four French and one Irish," Blanco continued.
"This system with the British workers profiting from leading powers [us] is not agreeable.
It is possible that the French and English will get their way this time. Both Blanco and Premier Rugby were angry at the Welsh representation in the competition after the re-structuring of Welsh rugby in 2003 had all four Welsh regions appearing in the tournament, while England and France had to make do with only half of their teams appearing.
ERC communications manager John Corcoran said that it was not a matter for ERC to deal with until the discussions over the future had been completed, but did not anticipate any major changes.
"The discussions between the shareholders of European Rugby Cup are ongoing, but are of a private nature. ERC is not in a position to reveal the content of those discussions," he said.
"We will carry out the tournament on the basis put forward by the shareholders."
But Blanco is adamant that the French must have more of a say in the tournament.
"The clubs and the League want to be the players in a competition which French teams play an important role in and is now not managed appropriately to us," he said.
While Blanco is supported by Premier Rugby, there is opposition from the RFU, who think that an increase in the Heineken Cup profile will damage their own tournaments, which generate more revenue for the Union.
Heineken Cup matches currently generate on £350,000 ($611,800) per weekend, far less than the estimated £1m ($1.7m) per Premiership weekend. The difference in weekend revenue between the Top 14 and Heineken Cup is similar.
This is also a bugbear to Blanco, who has long made clear his objections to any form of Heineken Cup expansion, and now appears to be seizing on the opportunity of the Paris Accord expiry to even up the revenue differences between the Top 14 and Heineken Cup, and either turn the Heineken Cup's success to his clubs' advantage, or leave it altogether.
Blanco spoke to this site six months ago about the future of European rugby, and said at the time that he wanted no expansion of the tournament.
"It [the Heineken Cup] is starting to be a success here. We have no problem if it grows," he said at the time.
He then grew slightly indignant.
"As long as it doesn't increase the number of games. We don't want the number of games to increase," he continued.
"The competition brings nothing to French rugby in terms of money. Four years ago, the clubs had more money than now.
"If we started with the Top 16, we would earn more money than with the H-Cup. We want to play the H-Cup, but not more games. It would just add to the number of matches, but bring nothing financially to the clubs."
In the interview on Monday, as he did in the interview with this site last October, Blanco put forward his idea for a world club tournament, involving the top clubs and provinces, to take place once every two years. But he railed at the ERC board, who he said would never be flexible enough to listen to such an idea.
"The omnipotence of the board which chokes everything is finished," he said.
"We do not want to submit to the will of the ERC Board which refuses to be acountable to us.
"We are ready to go face-to-face and we have arguments to put forward...up to now we have been very well-behaved children, but that is finished now.
"There will be a revolution if they do not listen to us...I am now sounding the alarm before it is too late."
Courtesy of Planet Rugby who also have a 3 part interview with Blanco linked in this story
French league president Serge Blanco has warned European Rugby Cup (ERC), the organisers of the Heineken Cup, that his teams could boycott the competition in the 2007/8 season, according to reports from France.
In a long interview with France's Midi-Olympique newspaper, Blanco said that he wanted a change in the way the cup was organised.
The discussions over how the qualification to the European Cup - and the shareholding between the six countries involved - will be shared from 2007 onwards have begun, with the current format in place until June of 2007 only.
Currently, the share of representation in the competition is set up on the basis of the Paris accord, with two representatives from each country on the board of ERC, but Blanco, who is supported in English quarters as well, has suggested that English and French clubs who hold the big money should take over the organisation of the competitions after 2007.
The French also want the qualification from the Celtic League reduced, so that only six teams can qualify for the Heineken Cup directly.
"We could boycott the European Cup," Blanco was quoted as saying.
"The clubs will not lose money in the event of a boycott over the season 2007/8. We can do without the European Cup.
"We would take our losses, and we will gain dates for the calendar."
The French have support from England, and apparently from Italy, but not from the Celtic Nations, with Ireland particularly opposed to the proposed changes - originally proposed by Premier Rugby - describing them as "insulting". A meeting is scheduled for April 11 to try and resolve the differences, with the Irish - who have clubs perennially present in the quarter-finals at the very least - seen as the main obstacle to change.
"In ten years of European competition, there have been five English victories, four French and one Irish," Blanco continued.
"This system with the British workers profiting from leading powers [us] is not agreeable.
It is possible that the French and English will get their way this time. Both Blanco and Premier Rugby were angry at the Welsh representation in the competition after the re-structuring of Welsh rugby in 2003 had all four Welsh regions appearing in the tournament, while England and France had to make do with only half of their teams appearing.
ERC communications manager John Corcoran said that it was not a matter for ERC to deal with until the discussions over the future had been completed, but did not anticipate any major changes.
"The discussions between the shareholders of European Rugby Cup are ongoing, but are of a private nature. ERC is not in a position to reveal the content of those discussions," he said.
"We will carry out the tournament on the basis put forward by the shareholders."
But Blanco is adamant that the French must have more of a say in the tournament.
"The clubs and the League want to be the players in a competition which French teams play an important role in and is now not managed appropriately to us," he said.
While Blanco is supported by Premier Rugby, there is opposition from the RFU, who think that an increase in the Heineken Cup profile will damage their own tournaments, which generate more revenue for the Union.
Heineken Cup matches currently generate on £350,000 ($611,800) per weekend, far less than the estimated £1m ($1.7m) per Premiership weekend. The difference in weekend revenue between the Top 14 and Heineken Cup is similar.
This is also a bugbear to Blanco, who has long made clear his objections to any form of Heineken Cup expansion, and now appears to be seizing on the opportunity of the Paris Accord expiry to even up the revenue differences between the Top 14 and Heineken Cup, and either turn the Heineken Cup's success to his clubs' advantage, or leave it altogether.
Blanco spoke to this site six months ago about the future of European rugby, and said at the time that he wanted no expansion of the tournament.
"It [the Heineken Cup] is starting to be a success here. We have no problem if it grows," he said at the time.
He then grew slightly indignant.
"As long as it doesn't increase the number of games. We don't want the number of games to increase," he continued.
"The competition brings nothing to French rugby in terms of money. Four years ago, the clubs had more money than now.
"If we started with the Top 16, we would earn more money than with the H-Cup. We want to play the H-Cup, but not more games. It would just add to the number of matches, but bring nothing financially to the clubs."
In the interview on Monday, as he did in the interview with this site last October, Blanco put forward his idea for a world club tournament, involving the top clubs and provinces, to take place once every two years. But he railed at the ERC board, who he said would never be flexible enough to listen to such an idea.
"The omnipotence of the board which chokes everything is finished," he said.
"We do not want to submit to the will of the ERC Board which refuses to be acountable to us.
"We are ready to go face-to-face and we have arguments to put forward...up to now we have been very well-behaved children, but that is finished now.
"There will be a revolution if they do not listen to us...I am now sounding the alarm before it is too late."
Courtesy of Planet Rugby who also have a 3 part interview with Blanco linked in this story