Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories France hosted the 2023 Rugby World Cup.Dan Sheridan/INPHO France allowed 'major failures' in finances of 2023 Rugby World Cup: watchdog Despite promises the tournament would generate big profits, it led to heavy financial losses. 12.48pm, 8 Apr 2025 Share options “MAJOR FAILURES” IN the French government’s oversight of the 2023 Rugby World Cup led to heavy financial losses and left the French Rugby Federation in difficulty, the state’s financial watchdog said on Tuesday. The French Court of Accounts pointed the finger at the first head of the tournament’s organising committee, Claude Atcher, but also said the French federation (FFR) and the government had to bear some responsibility “because of major failures in the control they should have exercised over the organising committee”. Despite promises that the tournament would generate big profits, it led to heavy financial losses, especially for the FFR. “Everyone won, except the (French) organisers,” the court’s president Pierre Moscovici said at a press conference. Advertisement The tournament was an “undeniable success with the public, the media and in a sporting sense”, but generated financial losses which could reach up to nearly €29 million once related legal cases have been resolved. “The financial targets were not met and the legacy resources left behind for rugby are virtually nil,” Moscovici said. He said the FFR gave unrealistic commitments to World Rugby to secure the hosting of the tournament. The international federation “achieved the best financial result in its history” from the tournament while the FFR made “a minimum loss of €19.2m, rising to €28.9m”, Moscovici said. The government only really became involved in the organisation in 2022 following a crisis in the organising committee when Atcher was removed over concerns over his management style. Moscovici said he was concerned that “the French government does not have a clear, substantiated doctrine for analysing the conditions under which it provides its support” for the organisation of an international competition. He said he hoped the recommendations contained in the report would be heeded by the organisers of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. The French Court of Accounts was closely involved in the oversight of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and is expected to produce a report in June. Atcher, in a formal right to reply to the report on the Rugby World Cup, claimed that “the catastrophic management of the event after my departure deprived French rugby of nearly €50m in earnings”. – © AFP 2025 View 6 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “France allowed 'major failures' in finances of 2023 Rugby World Cup: watchdog”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “France allowed 'major failures' in finances of 2023 Rugby World Cup: watchdog”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. 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