French club officials quizzed in agent probe

FRANCE’S preparations for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Ireland have been overshadowed by revelations that several of the country’s top club administrators were questioned by police as a long-running investigation into the potentially fraudulent dealings of a player agent intensified.

The agent was alleged to be have acted illegally in the recruitment of South African players for French clubs during the 2005-06 season. According to the popular Rugbyrama website, the seven French clubs named were Biarritz, Montpellier, Narbonne, Agen, Albi, Tarbes and Aurillac.

The investigation stems from a complaint made by the FFR (Fédération Française de Rugby) in November 2006 regarding the alleged activities of the agent. The LNR, the governing body for professional clubs in France, released a statement on Tuesday night confirming that a number of administrators from several clubs had been questioned in relation to the probe. They stressed however, that the investigation was focused on one person and that no charges had been brought against any club administrators.

France is known to have a notoriously rigorous process to become a professional agent and to date only a handful of foreigners have been officially licensed by the FFR.

This is not the first time that the French sport has been embroiled in allegations of corruption. In 2005, fraud squad detectives carried out raids at the homes of prominent football agents as part of an investigation into transfers between Marseille and Paris St Germain.

Shortly after he stepped down as French coach in 2007, it was revealed that Bernard Laporte had been under investigation by the fraud squad for over a year. Laporte, who became France’s Junior Sports Minister within days of the revelations maintained that his “conscience was clear” and no charges have since been brought against him.