BERNARD LAPORTE’S withering dismissal of the France supporters who vented their frustrations on Saturday has reverberated around the country and created a furore.
Websites were alive yesterday with negative reaction to the coach’s outburst. Even Bernard Lapasset, the FFR president, indicated that Laporte should have used more diplomatic language.
“Laporte got it wrong,” Serge Magnifcat, of Midi Olympique, said. “There is a big divorce now between him and the fans.”
Rugby’s traditional heartland has been outside Paris. However, since professionalism, the sport’s popularity has soared.
The move to the Stade de France has created a new market which has been filled by sponsors and the corporate hospitality machine. In that regard Laporte does have a point.