Friday, 7th June, 2013
Toulouse president Olivier Sadran has slammed critics of French principality club Monaco, insisting the newly-promoted side must be allowed time to present their case over tax-related reforms.
Monaco have come under fire in recent months owing to their presence in the tax-free haven, which gives them the ability to amass a huge transfer kitty.
It has earned the ire of rival Ligue 1 clubs, and in March the Ligue Professionelle de Football (LFP) voted to exclude the second-division champions unless they moved their head offices to France.
The French Football Federation (FFF) stepped in to block the move and instead asked Monaco to pay €200m, but the club refused to do so and have taken the matter up with France’s council of state.
relatedNewsStory
A decision is expected in two weeks, while Monaco have found a lone voice of support in cash-strapped club Toulouse.
Sadran was quoted by L’Equipe as saying: "We must stop attacking the club which has played in France for 80 years and will make significant contributions to French football.
"Monaco have progressed in the championship of France for 80 years and it never bothered anyone before. The shareholder is Russian and that encourages fantasies in some people."
The Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev, has provided a significant cash boost of his own, which has seen the arrivals of several high-profile players this summer, including Radamel Falcao, with more reportedly in the pipeline.
The big signings are sure to boost TV-rights deals that will help clubs such as Toulouse, who are in financial turmoil.
And Sadran added: "We must stop attacking the club. Those who do this are not very clever, and must behave like gentlemen because there are ways to get along if you take the time to listen.
"We must try to find a figure of compensation and I’m sure Monaco will aim for a logical conclusion."
Like betting on football? You simply must check out Inside Bet!
