Near the Chaban-Delmas stadium in Bordeaux, Sunday April 11 at the end of the afternoon, the atmosphere was calm. Very calm. The Union Bordeaux-Bègles (UBB) had yet to snatch the victory (24 to 21) against Racing 92, and to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Cup, the European rugby cup. In usual time, a huge clamor would have resounded to greet this first in the history of a club born in 2006 from the merger of the Stade Bordeaux university club and the Béglais athletic club.
But, Sunday, only the cheers of a few representatives of sponsors came to punctuate this victory. In the rest of the stands, able to accommodate more than 30,000 people, no supporters were there to applaud the local team. For several months now, given the health situation, being in camera has been the daily lot of the UBB, just as much as of the other clubs of the Top 14, the first division of French professional rugby.
Even if the supporters continue to hang words of encouragement on the grids of the training center, in Bègles (“UBB, we love you”, can we read in particular), even if a handful of admirers come to attend training, and even if, on social networks, messages give balm to the heart to the team, being deprived of public remains difficult for the players.
“It’s horrible to live a historic match without an audience. What would it have been with 30,000, 35,000 people? There will always remain a little unfinished “, lamented UBB captain Jefferson Poirot after the match against Racing 92. “On the one hand, we feel privileged because we can continue to do our work, to be in the field. But with the fact of playing behind closed doors, we do not take pleasure in it ”, adds Clément Maynadier, hooker from UBB.
The backlash is harsh
Beyond the fact that it weighs on the morale of the players, it is especially on the financial situation of the club that the camera is felt. The backlash is severe. The latest provisional budget shows a deficit of 10 million euros, according to the president of the UBB, Laurent Marti. As in most of the other Top 14 clubs, ticketing, hospitality partnerships and catering on match days account for between 50% and 60% of revenue.
In addition, there is the inactivity of the refreshment bar and the non-renewal of certain subscriptions, which represents a loss of 5 million euros. Without forgetting that we will also have to reimburse 50% of the subscriptions that had been maintained.
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