Bayonne president to resign

 

"It's obvious that I will quit," Merin told Sudouest newspaper.

 

"But not just like that, quickly done. I want to leave the club on the right path before that."

 

Merin said the club would soon convene a meeting of shareholders and interested parties, but insisted his decision to quit would not change.

 

"It's very complicated to lead up Bayonne and I am exhausted. My decision is final and I won't go back on it."

 

Blanco needed a two-thirds majority in Biarritz's general meeting on Tuesday to merge the fallen French giants with their regional rivals, but fell short. 

 

Venezuelan-born Blanco, who was at Biarritz during his entire playing career, leaves the club in the second-tier Pro D2 – the same division as Bayonne.

 

The decision comes as a surprise following the Biarritz board's approval of the merger last week, but rival fans of Bayonne were among those to share their concerns. 

 

Blanco, a French rugby legend with 93 caps, had been in discussions with Merin about the merger, and voiced his disappointment during Tuesday's meeting, in which he resigned.  

 

Five-time French champions Biarritz will compete in the Pro D2 for the second-straight season after missing out on the play-offs last term.

 

The 2015/16 campaign will be the first season without a Basque club in the top flight after Bayonne's relegation on the last day of the Top 14 season (2014/15).