Bayonne president to resign
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Bayonne rugby club president Manuel Merin will follow in the footsteps of Biarritz counterpart Serge Blanco by resigning in the wake of the duo's unsuccessful attempt to merge the two Basque clubs.
"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).
AFP
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