The preparation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France is “fully on track”, despite the proliferation of matters relating to the organizing committee, “which is behind us”, assured AFP on Saturday the chairman of the committee of the organization Jacques Rivoal .

In addition to an initial investigation for influence and corruption, the former director general of the organization of general interest (GIP) France-2023 Claude Atcher, who was fired this summer and then landed by the board of directors in October, is the subject of another investigation for moral harassment, revealed this week the daily newspaper L’Équipe.

“These are events that are a little behind us today. It only confirmed that the decisions made this summer are the right ones,” responded the president of the GIP Jacques Rivoal, questioned by the AFP on Saturday on the sidelines of a promotional event in Saint-Denis, in reference to Atcher’s dismissal.

“We were not affected at all by the news, which was indeed a bit hectic. The two best signs are that the tickets were selling very well and all the sponsors came on board and stayed with us. Today ‘today we are all following up to reach what is going to be a very big popular party,” he said.

In a lengthy article titled “Peril on the finance of the World Cup”, L’Équipe also mentioned Thursday “poor budget management”, “suspicions of favoritism” and “misappropriation of public funds”, partly attributed to Claude Atcher.

At the time of the launch of the application, Atcher claimed to be able to make 200 million euros in potential profit. A few years later, according to L’Équipe’s calculations, it would be five times less, or about 40 million euros.

Following the departure of the managing director, who is suing “judicial and ruthless media” against him, the board of directors of the GIP will examine on February 2 the results of a budget review that integrates a “global vision”, according to Rivoal.

“For the first time, we have done a transparent job to present a fully consolidated result. What I can tell you (…) is that we can present a result that will be at the level of the best benchmarks. In the history of the World Cups,” declared the president of the GIP.

The Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in ten French cities from September 8 to October 28, will begin with a clash between the All Blacks and the Blues of Fabien Galthié.