American Marconi Wireless News - Rugby federation ethics body demands Laporte resign as president: source

Laporte received a two-year suspended prison sentence on corruption charges on Tuesday just nine months before France hosts the sport's showpiece event the World Cup.

He was also banned from holding any rugby post for two years, but this is suspended pending an appeal.

He stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of the sport's global governing body, World Rugby, pending a review by the body's ethics officer.

However, he steadfastly refused to stand down as president of the FFR -- a role he was first elected to in 2016 and was re-elected to in a tight contest in 2020.

According to the source, the ethics committee reached their decision the day after the conviction and sent a letter explaining their reasoning to both Laporte and to France's Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera.

She had been quick off the mark following the court ruling in stating the sentence was an "obstacle for Bernard Laporte to be able, as it stands, to continue his mission in good conditions" as federation president.

The ethics committee's decision follows the call on Thursday by The French rugby union league (LNR) for the FFR to hold elections.

Laporte, 58, was convicted of showing favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier.

It goes back to February 2017, when they signed a deal under which Laporte agreed to appear at Altrad group conferences, and sold his image reproduction rights, in return for 180,000 euros.

But while that sum was paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he never actually provided the services he signed up for.

Laporte did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed the 1.8-million-euro deal with the businessman making his namesake firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team's jerseys.

Even now, Altrad's logo features on the shirts thanks to a follow-up deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018 and which prosecutors say bears all the hallmarks of corruption.

Laporte, formerly a highly successful coach who guided France twice to the World Cup semi-finals (2003 and 2007), was also found guilty of favouritism with regards to Altrad's Montpellier Herault Rugby (MHR) club.

He was convicted for intervening with French rugby's federal disciplinary commission to reduce a fine against MHR to 20,000 euros -- it was originally 70,000 euros -- after several telephone calls from Laporte.

P.Mathewson--AMWN