French rugby boss furious with Top 14 TV deal suspension

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On Wednesday, the FAC suspended the Ligue Nationale de Rugby's (LNR) agreement with Canal+ to broadcast the Top 14 for the next five seasons, which is worth €355million, effectively agreeing with beIN Sports' accusation they were illegally blocked from the tender process.

Speaking to Midi Olympique on Friday, LNR president Goze was furious with the decision.

"This decision is unjustified, incongruous and open to criticism," he said.

The FAC have allowed Canal+ to broadcast the 2014-15 season, which will start on August 16, in order "not to disproportionately affect the interests of clubs, broadcasters and viewers".

But the LNR will need to announce a new bidding process by the end of January.

Simon Gilham, vice president of Brive - one of the smaller clubs in France's top tier of rugby - claimed the suspension of the deal could seriously hurt Top 14's minnows.

"With the five-year deal we were guaranteed some visibility and it allowed us to put in place short and medium-term projects, including signing players on three-year deals," Gilham said.

"Now it's as if your job contract went from three years to one year.

"Do you understand the impact of €2m on a budget of €12m? It's huge.

"I understand why the richer clubs haven't reacted but for everyone else the consequences are much more serious. This decision will cost us visibility and I'm very grateful that the LNR has decided to appeal the decision."

But Jacky Lorenzetti, president of five-time French champions Racing Metro, was unfazed, claiming a new bidding process would only lead to more money for the clubs.

"Why would the result of the new bidding process be lower than the deal that has already been signed?" he said.

"I'm not worried about this decision. We need to let the law follow this through."

In December 2013, the LNR announced they would accept bids for the next four seasons, starting in 2014-15, after failing to reach an agreement with Canal+ to extend the then-existing deal.

After Canal+ started to challenge that decision through the French judicial system, the LNR suspended the tender process on January 10 and awarded a new contract to Canal+ until the end of the 2018-19 campaign, a period of five seasons.

BeIN Sports complained to the Competition Authority in March, claiming they had not been given a fair opportunity to bid for the broadcast contract.

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