Asked by the site Rugby RamaPatrick Buisson, candidate of the majority “Laportiste” defeated in the presidential election of the FFR this Wednesday (58% against 42%) commented on the result: “First of all, this election was marked by a high turnout, since we had 95% of the votes cast. The clubs have chosen, Florian Grill is elected with 58%, which is a very good score. There is nothing to say. We must congratulate Florian Grill and his team for this result. On our side, we are not going to block the system. If Florian Grill makes proposals that are in the general interest of French rugby, we will validate them. »
At the end of January, Patrick Buisson had already been beaten in an election, that concerning his appointment to the post of president-delegate. In recent days, he and his supporters had waved the threat of a blockage of the institution in the event of Grill’s victory. “Badly elected (sic)Grill would be unable to implement its program for 18 months, wrote the majority. Even elected president in cohabitation, Grill would not have the power to appoint me in charge of the World Cup (he had offered to let Buisson take charge of this file), nor anyone else, because he would be in a minority on the steering committee (11 versus 27) and without the ability to govern. The steering committee in place will not compromise. »