Tuesday, November 16, the board of directors of AS Bayonnaise decided to forfeit the entire season of Elite 1 Women, reports France Bleu Pays Basque. A radical decision, which came after a mobilization of the players to denounce their training conditions.
On Sunday, November 7, they refused to play the Coupe de France match against Stade Toulousain, and had mentioned “an obvious lack of staff which does not allow them to train under admissible conditions”, and which endangered their physical integrity.
Rugby: the board of directors of AS Bayonne forfeits the Elite 1 Women!#FBsport #Pays Basque # Elite1 #Neskak #ASB
https://t.co/X57kFzVLIC pic.twitter.com/0bC3R2MAeQ
– France Bleu Basque Country (@Bleu_Basque) November 16, 2021
“We end up with three first lines, including one that is not trained for this position and one that plays at the federal level. Playing in Elite 1 can endanger their physical integrity”, the player Brandy Cazorla recently explained to franceinfo: sport.
A vote of the board of directors (eighteen votes for, one abstention) endorsed the decision, according to France Bleu Pays Basque. “The players wanted to rebel”; “it is the ASB institution and the entire history of this right bank club that have been endangered”club leaders told local media.
“How can we act so quickly?”, lamented on Twitter the French international player Lénaïg Corson.
How can we act so quickly?
I imagine the frustration and incomprehension of the players of the @asbayonne !
Ask for legitimate means to play at the best French level and find yourself at the lowest level on a decision … @avironrugbypro @FranceRugby HELP! https://t.co/F93v7yW6Qj– Lenaig Corson (@LenaigCorson) November 17, 2021
The players have been alerting to the situation for many months without the situation having changed. The sports record at the start of the season has so far been catastrophic, with a last place in the standings.
The president justifies his decision by explaining that AS Bayonnaise does not have the capacity to support a team evolving in the elite. For the decision to be official, the club must notify it by mail to the French Rugby Federation. In this case, the club played next season in Federal 2.