Serge Blanco
Serge Blanco resigned as Biarritz president on Tuesday following his unsuccessful attempt to merge the club with Basque rivals Bayonne.
Blanco needed a 2-thirds majority in Biarritz’s general meeting 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 2nd-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 legend with 93 caps, had been in discussions with Bayonne’s president Manu Merin about the merger, and voiced his disappointment during Tuesday’s meeting, in which he resigned.
The 56-year-old, France’s record try-scorer with 38 tries, is also a successful hotelier and sports manufacturer following his venture into business after retiring as a player in 1992.
Blanco has also been vice-president of the French Rugby Federation since 2012 and could run for president of French rugby’s supreme body in 2016.
5-Time French champions Biarritz will compete in the Pro D2 for the 2nd-straight season after missing out on the play-offs last term.
The 2015 / 2016 campaign will be the 1st season without a Basque club in the top flight after Bayonne’s relegation on the last day of the Top 14 season (2014 / 2015).
rugby365