French bid to buy out EP Kings
Multimillionaire’s offer has ‘laughable’ conditions
THE multimillionaire owner of French rugby club Toulon, Mourad Boudjellal, is said to be keen to buy the cash-strapped EP Kings and bail them out of their financial woes.
Facing a deadline tomorrow to pay their players or face possible action from the SA Rugby Players’ Association (Sarpa), the Kings are reported to have been offered a lifeline by one of the world’s richest clubs.
EP Kings president Cheeky Watson, who has remained silent recently over the Kings’ financial woes, confirmed to the Son op Sondag that Toulon had offered to buy the Kings.
In the newspaper report, Watson said Boudjellal wanted to rename the team the Mandela Kings ahead of their return to Super Rugby next year.
EP’s president, however, said there were demands from Toulon that made the offer laughable.
“[Boudjellal] wanted two Springbok tests a year, one to be played in Nelson Mandela Bay and one in Toulon,” Watson said.
“There is no way to get two Bok tests. I had to beg to get just one.
“Further he wants SA Rugby to take over all the Kings’ debt and also wants all the money from the broadcast rights to be paid directly to him. “It is absolute madness.” It has been confirmed that Ireland will play the Springboks at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on June 25 next year.
In an e-mail sent to Watson, Boudjellal wants to see the Kings’ last three financial statements and wants to call the team the Mandela Kings.
Toulon are one of the strongest teams in Europe; Springbok star Bryan Habana plays for them.
The news that Toulon are interested in acquiring the Kings comes days after Watson flew overseas.
Some rugby fans might reach their own conclusions over the timing of his departure.
Some say Watson has gone to attend a family wedding in Australia while Kings officials said on Friday that, among other things, he was going to check on delays in a new sponsorship thought to be worth R200-million.
“Watson travelled overseas on Friday, where, among other things, he would be meeting the sponsors over the delayed funding,” EP Rugby said.
EP executive member Vernon Stuurman, who is standing in for Watson, said: “The EP Rugby executive were aware of the delays and were being kept abreast of the situation.”
Stuurman said the funding would be a game changer for both the professional body and the union.
“We understand the frustrations over the delays but we also understand that there are significant challenges when dealing with such a huge sum of money,” he said.
Because of delays in the sponsorship, Sarpa has given the cashstrapped EP Kings until tomorrow to pay their players.
If they are not paid by that date, Sarpa said, they were weighing up options on what action to take against the Kings, who return to Super Rugby in just under four months.
“We have [written] to the Kings informing them that they have 10 days [from October 31] to pay the salaries,” Sarpa spokesman Nyaniso Sam said.
“In the meantime, we have kept the players in the loop and offered assistance to those needing advice,” Sam said.
The Kings players are on their end-of-season break and are due to return to training on Wednesday.