On Friday, French publication Mediapart published an investigation that “confirmed the recurring charges of ticket trafficking that has generated profit for some less scrupulous leaders” of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), according to Arnaud Coudry of LE FIGARO. In the report, René Hourquet, the FFR treasurer from ’02-12, said that he regularly sent “warning letters” to federal leaders whose tickets were resold outside the official channels. On Saturday, at a “rare press conference meeting,” FFR President Pierre Camou denied the accusations. He said, “There is no double ticketing at the French Rugby Federation. The ticketing is controlled by the customs, there is a series of controls like everywhere else.” Mediapart’s reaction “was immediate.” On Sunday the website “published the documents behind the charges against the FFR.” One document showed that FFR VP Bernard Godet received €99,709 ($105,575) “for the sale of seats recovered via a former international friendly” organized by former French captain Gérald Martinez. Godet and Martinez are co-shareholders of “Impact Club,” an agency that has “never been approved by the FFR and has been sued for the resale of tickets without FFR authorization.” Now Godet has “stepped down from his post.” He is “denying all accusations and is preparing his defense” (LE FIGARO, 11/20).
