The professional structure that is Nantes-Rezé Basket has known some differences with Rezé Basket 44 which holds its sports rights. Otherwise, the club could say goodbye to its membership in the Women’s Basketball League. While the dialogue had been broken for several months (despite a meeting in January, in the presence of the Loire-Atlantique departmental committee), a rapprochement was developing between the two amateur clubs in the town of Rezé (Rezé Basket 44 and the Basketball Club Saint-Paul Rezé (BCSPR) whose pennant team plays in LF2), the different entities met in a conciliation meeting before the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) at the beginning of the week.
The RB44 and the BCSPR, which planned to create a new professional entity, will ultimately not go to the end of their project. Indeed, a new agreement should be signed by June 1 and will still link the NRB to RB44, ensuring the participation of the Breakers in the 2020/21 season of LFB.
Months of tension
Almost a week ago, the RB44 and its president Pierre Lusseau announced to the press that the dialogue was completely broken with the Nantes-Rezé Basket concerning the renewal of the use of the affiliation number. The link between professional and amateur sport was therefore broken and the controversy was established within the teams of the department.
For the first time since the collaboration began twelve years ago, the Ground Basket 44 claimed financial compensation of € 30,000 to continue offering its rights to the NRB, as announced West France. As a result, there was no negotiation and a categorical refusal. No more
In parallel, the BCSP Rezé (LF2) has publicly confirmed its desire to join the RB44, while not modifying anything to the current identities of each structure, to regain control of the NRB under the name of Nantes Métropole Basket Rezé Saint Paul. The takeover bid launched by Pierre Lusseau (RB44) and Bertrand Vigouroux (BCSP), the result of long-term work, met the expectations of local communities according to them. Negotiations between the different parties will ultimately have resulted in an unchanged situation.
The conciliation, carried out under the supervision of the basketball authorities (FFBB, LFB, Ligue des Pays de la Loire, Basketball Committee 44), finally resulted in an agreement allowing the NRB to continue its development in the elite of national women’s basketball .
Criticized by local associations, the president of NRB Jean-Pierre Ciglia expressed himself in a press release on the subject. He took the opportunity to caress in the direction of the hair the associations with which he had not managed to get along so far. “L“NRB knows perfectly well what it owes to all the clubs in the department which do an excellent job of which we are only the window,” he admits.
here is the communicated suit by Jean-Pierre Ciglia, president of NRB:
“Dear friends of the NRB,
The agreement between our Club and the RB44 will be signed before the end of the week and the NRB will engage well next season the Breakers in LFB and our teams of the Training Center in their various championships.
The conciliation initiated with the RB44 under the aegis of the basketball authorities (FFBB, LFB, Ligue des Pays de la Loire, Basketball Committee 44) made it possible to find a good agreement for the 2 clubs. Thank you to all the people in these bodies who took the time and the diplomacy to help us bring the points of view together.
The agreement between the NRB and the RB44 must go beyond the framework of a financial agreement. The NRB is determined to develop a real collaboration at the sporting level and at the level of involvement of the leaders and volunteers of the RB44 in our structure. If the requirements and the respect are mutual, it will be possible to collaborate usefully in the progression of high-level women’s basketball in our territory, the City of Rezé, Nantes Métropole, the department of Loire-Atlantique and the Region of the countries of the Loire.
Collaboration between clubs is highly desirable, interference perfectly harmful. Let everyone respect each other in their specificities. We do not run an LFB club like a neighborhood club and the NRB knows perfectly what it owes to all the clubs in the department which do an excellent job of which we are only the showcase.
I would also like to thank the volunteer members of the NRB Steering Committee, Thierry PIMOR, René REZE, Magalie and Sylvain DUPUIS, Séverine and Christophe AILLERIE, Anne RUIZ-LEROY and Michelle TERRIENNE who were not considered at their true value by those who were attacking us. It’s a gender parity committee that works a lot and in solidarity in the service of local basketball. We call on those who would like to join this great team to do so.
I am also thinking of our employees who were afraid of being embarked on a dubious adventure, of our young people dismissed from the Training Center and their parents, of our loyal and hardworking volunteers, of the So Déferlantes and the Déferlante Family, our Partners that the situation worried and to all our fans and supporters.
We will all together now turn to a season with big challenges. The recruitment of Aurélie and Camille for the Breakers, that of Alexandre for the Training Center, the management of the Covid-19 health crisis which leaves risks hanging over our activity and, let us not neglect them, the 11 others LFB teams who will be beautiful and formidable. Many LFB club presidents have given us moral support, which shows that competition does not prevent solidarity.
Beautiful and exciting 2020-2021 season with the NRB and many others at the highest national level.
Sincerely.”
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