Racing Metro and Stade Francais are merging!

[Car]

I found an answer to my own question:
https://www.midi-olympique.fr/breve/28952-fusion-comme-rempart-un-rachat-du-stade-francais-par-qsi
Lorenzetti implied that QSI (i.e. the Qataris behind PSG) put on pressure to buy Stade Français, but both the club as well as QSI deny that.

- - - Updated - - -

I found an answer to my own question:
https://www.midi-olympique.fr/breve/28952-fusion-comme-rempart-un-rachat-du-stade-francais-par-qsi
Lorenzetti implied that QSI (i.e. the Qataris behind PSG) put on pressure to buy Stade Français, but both the club as well as QSI deny that.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I was in Camp Nou and Racing fans were not even close to 10,000... Flags from both teams were distributed to all neutral fans (like me) so the atmosphere was improved.

I was there too and there were more than 10k Racing fans just in the line to get to the toilet.

Wanna make it conservative? Fine, say 30k. Still, that's a ****load of people to bring to another country for a club rugby game.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Latest developement Pascal Pape is leading the Stade players to strike and not play against Castres this weekend, whether it will happen or not is to be seen.
The very fact that there is nothing coming from the Racing club seems to point to me that this fusion is a buyout by Racing and there seeems to be rumours about Quatiris involved in trying to buy Stade previously, massive f*** up which will not help French rugby.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

I was there too and there were more than 10k Racing fans just in the line to get to the toilet.

Wanna make it conservative? Fine, say 30k. Still, that's a ****load of people to bring to another country for a club rugby game.

Even if it was just 10k. It's pretty ****ty for people to not think it's sad that these people are losing their club.

I do believe your number since a lot of these anecdotal tales smell of jealousy.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Even if it was just 10k. It's pretty ****ty for people to not think it's sad that these people are losing their club.

+1

 

[gaston le gaff]

As far as crowds go in Barcelona, yes there were probably not thousands and thousands of Racing supporters maybe 10,000 max but this was a one off for french rugby because of the Euro footie, there were supporters from all over France as probably they would never see a finale so big ever again. For french supporters to get to Barcelona it is very easy, train, plane, and car all have easy access. the tickets were sold out long befor the final. When we played Racing in Marseille in the semi final some seasons ago 2010/11 out of 50,000 there were less than 2,500, Racing have never had great support, hence the brand new 30,000 stadium in la Defence which will be multy purpose as Racing and rugby cannot finance this project alone

 

[gaston le gaff]

LNR to hold a meeting on Fri between players pro and am. coaches and reps of both clubs to try and sort this fiasco out!!! good luck to all as the LNR are not the best negiciators in town, unless its for them and how much they can spend on food and drink!!!.

 

[FrenchFan]

I found an answer to my own question:
https://www.midi-olympique.fr/breve/28952-fusion-comme-rempart-un-rachat-du-stade-francais-par-qsi
Lorenzetti implied that QSI (i.e. the Qataris behind PSG) put on pressure to buy Stade Français, but both the club as well as QSI deny that.

This is just a smoke screen from Lorezentti. The Qataris know like I do that rugby in Paris is a no show with few bums on seats.

He's basically saying 'Look if it wasn't for me the Qataris would buy out SF, so I'm doing SF a favour'. He's talking rubbish and taking everyone for a ride.

Lorezentti is a swiss-born business man. He doesn't know the first thing about rugby.

EDIT
My read on the merger is

1. In principle I'm not opposed to it. Mergers/Buy-outs happen. However the timing and manner of it are disugsting to the SF players and totally disrespectful to other Top 14 clubs and disruptive to the league.

2. The SF players are dead right to go on strike. Let LNR sort it out. They're in charge of the Top 14 and all issues related.

3. Conditions of merger must be investigated by LNR. They have given their vote of confidence without knowing any better!

4. Merger should be reviewed and postponed till end of the season.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

This is just a smoke screen from Lorezentti. The Qataris know like I do that rugby in Paris is a no show with few bums on seats.

He's basically saying 'Look if it wasn't for me the Qataris would buy out SF, so I'm doing SF a favour'. He's talking rubbish and taking everyone for a ride.

Lorezentti is a swiss-born business man. He doesn't know the first thing about rugby.

honest question: does attendance really even matter from a financial perspective?

cause in states it's all TV deals, the San Diego Chargers were willing to move from a 60k stadium to a 30k stadium just so they could be in LA and a larger media market

 

[RedruthRFC]

honest question: does attendance really even matter from a financial perspective?

cause in states it's all TV deals, the San Diego Chargers were willing to move from a 60k stadium to a 30k stadium just so they could be in LA and a larger media market

Salary caps are much lower in rugby, so attendances have a greater potential to make up a significant portion of the running costs of a club.

In British parlance, some fag packet maths......if the AP website is to be believed, Harlequins have a home attendance so far this season of over 200k, at £25 a ticket, this equates to over £5m's worth of income - a very large chunk of the salary cap with home games left to play. In the NFL, Dalles top the attendance table with around 700k. Unless ticket prices are massive, that is going to equate the a much smaller portion of the biggest expense teams face - paying players. This ignores many factors like tax and the skewing effect that the Twickenham games have, but it gives an indication.

I would guess that the TV markets in American Football in states are much more lucrative than rugby TV markets in Europe which would compound the greater significance of TV vs attendance.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

NFL makes roughly $7 billion USD per year in TV revenue. Or roughly $200 million USD per team, per season. Rugby money is pocket change in comparison.

 

[munstermuffin]

Ha just off topic.
Jackman got the boot because
His physical training was hard
His attack system was complicated and hard to learn
And lastly he banned dessert from canteen

 

[sigesige00]

No one can understand the necessity of merger. It might be good for Aviron Bayonnais and Biarritz Olympique to merger, but why 2 top clubs in Paris?

 

[Car]

This is just a smoke screen from Lorezentti. The Qataris know like I do that rugby in Paris is a no show with few bums on seats.

What about their handball team, is that doing better in that respect? Although their activities in handball go way beyond PSG, of course.

EDIT
My read on the merger is [...]

Makes sense to me.

 

[TRF_heineken]

@FrenchFan, Why is the timing so bad?

Surely there is no good time to do this, but in announcing it earlier, they allow everyone to get their affairs in order and allows other clubs to prepare to swoop on to players they might want to buy?

SFP doesn't have a chance of winning the ***le, so what if they protest and/or forfeit their next upcoming game(s). They will lose points, but it's not like there is a threat of them being relegated...

If the players are so passionate about their club, then protest action isn't the way to go about. They should rather show their passion on the field, while wearing their jersey's proudly.

 

[Car]

SFP doesn't have a chance of winning the ***le, so what if they protest and/or forfeit their next upcoming game(s). They will lose points, but it's not like there is a threat of them being relegated...

That's why. Those that will play them now might win automatically whereas those that already played them have a disadvantage.

 

[gaston le gaff]

if that becomes the case they could take all the points of all the teams for the season v Stade, probably the only fair way of doing it, the augument being if they were not to play for the rest of the season because of a strike, what is a win, with or without bonus pts a lose or a draw who can decide that, impossible to know and unfair on the teams that have already played Stade home and away. It's a mess contructed by the 2 Presidents who dicussed and organised this without anyone else being present or having any knowledge, in this world of high tech comm, i am really surprised there was never a leak to the press.

 

[FrenchFan]

@FrenchFan, Why is the timing so bad?

because the season is far from over. It's very disruptive to the league. They should have made the announcement later in the season. The 2 clubs do not operate on their own. There are part of the Top 14.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

I think the strike is genius. Obviously the league doesn't support them and neither does their club. Why should the players be expected to show passion for their club when no one else does.

 

[munstermuffin]

Couldn't it cause havoc if a walkover result was vital at end of season