French rugby chief Bernard Laporte quits role after conviction: minister / Photo: © AFP/File
French rugby chief Bernard Laporte quits role after conviction: minister
Bernard Laporte on Friday resigned his role as president of France's rugby union federation after being convicted of corruption, the sports minister said.
"I can confirm that Bernard Laporte has resigned," Amelie Oudea-Castera told reporters after a meeting of the federation's top officials.
Laporte, a former coach of the France national team, received a two-year suspended prison sentence in December.
A court found he had shown favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier.
The affair has clouded France's preparations to hold the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
(F.Moulin--LPdF)
