THE SOTSMAN REPORTS
DAVID FERGUSON ([email protected])
THE France v Scotland match in the forthcoming RBS Six Nations Championship could be moved to Marseille after a dispute over advertising at Stade de France.

Although there are almost three months before the match is scheduled to be played, leaving plenty of time for a resolution, the French Federation de Rugby is treating the issue seriously enough to suspend ticket sales for the match.

The game has become enveloped in a commercial feud between the managers of Stade de France, the Paris stadium used for all of France\'s Six Nations games, and the FFR. It has been reported that the Consortium Stade de France (CSF) has sold advertising on boards which should have been reserved for the championship title sponsors, the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Six Nations committee was reported to have threatened to withdraw France\'s home matches if the FFR cannot resolve the dispute. France have two home matches in the 2007 championship - against Wales on 24 February and against Scotland on 17 March - and the FFR now appear to be using the threat of taking the game away from the Stade de France in a bid to lever movement from the CSF.

The FFR said in a statement: \"Without a quick agreement, the match, France v Scotland, cannot take place at the Stade de France. Under these conditions, the sale of tickets for this game is currently suspended.\"

Before the construction of Stade de France for the 1998 football World Cup, the French rugby team played its international matches at Parc des Princes in Paris. However, that ground has a capacity of 48,500 compared to 80,000 at the new national stadium. The Velodrome in Marseille has a capacity of 60,000, and is a preferred venue of the FFR for international matches outside the Six Nations Championship.

Meanwhile, another dispute is threatening next season\'s Heineken Cup. Serge Blanco, the president of the French League, meets his English counterpart for talks today amid suggestions of French and English clubs withdrawing from the Heineken Cup next season.

The French clubs are concerned at the length of a season they face with the World Cup putting off the start of the domestic leagues until the end of October.

At the heart of the debate, however, is money, with France\'s main rugby broadcaster Canal+ having voiced its concern at the increasing resting of leading players in televised games, to cope with the demands of the season. It is understood they are offering less money for the rights to cover next season\'s club action and though the French federation are offering £8.5m compensation to clubs for the disruption, it is not enough for some clubs.

Blanco will try to enlist the support of English clubs in pushing the ERC to renegotiate the Paris Accord to give French and English clubs a bigger slice of the Heineken Cup cake. English clubs haven\'t signed the accord as they are still disputing their share from the RFU.

This article: http://sport.scotsman.com/rugby.cfm?id=1849412006

This article was posted on 13-Dec-2006, 08:47 by Hugh Barrow.