This is the end of a long soap opera opposing the National Rugby League (LNR) and Montpellier over the payroll ceiling which is theoretically imposed on French elite rugby clubs. Montpellier will pay“An exceptional contribution of 3 million euros” to settle this dispute, announced Thursday, August 6, the NRL in a press release
“Under the terms of the mediation between the Salary Cap Manager of the LNR and Montpellier Héraut Rugby under the Rules relating to ethics and sports fairness – Salary Cap, all disputes between the Salary Cap Manager at MHR ”, said the NRL.
The League accused Montpellier (MHR) and its president, Mohed Altrad, of having exceeded the wage bill set at 11.3 million euros. What disputed the club which had obtained totally or partially successful in appeal to other authorities.
In September 2018, in the viewfinder of the LNR for exceeding the ceiling estimated between 350,000 and 400,000 euros during the 2016-2017 season, the MHR had been cleared by the National Directorate of Assistance and Management Control, then by the Appeal Board of the French Rugby Federation (FFR).
In 2019, the League had imposed on the Hérault club a fine of 470,000 euros for having exceeded the wage bill ceiling during the 2017-2018 season (400,000 for the overrun and 70,000 for the failure to communicate certain elements).
But in May, the federal committee of ethics and professional conduct of French rugby rejected the NRL after the partial clearance of the MHR, in November 2019, by the Federation’s appeal commission.
These decisions favorable to the MHR had raised the question of the link between its owner, businessman Mohed Altrad, and the FFR, of which he became an official partner.
