FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 April 1922, Page 11

FOOTBALL.

THE GAME IN FRANCE. /- CHANCES OF PROFESSIONALISM. ~"T“ g T—f The facts of the Vidal case in France were not made quite dear In the original cable message. News by mail explains the affair more fully. M. Gaston Vidal, Undersecretary of State for Tecfrnieal Instruction and Physical Education, made the statement in on interview that professionalism was common in many Rugby teams In the South of France. A similar charge had been made before, but the Rugby Federation decided that a statement by a member of the French Cabinet could not be allowed to pass unnoticed. 1 hey denied the allegation, and then called upon M. Vidal, a member of the federation and formerly a well-known Rugby player, to give an explanation at a special meeting. M. Vidal refused, and was expelled from the federation by ISO votes to 175. Another sensation was caused by M. Franz Reichel, one of the oldest, sportsmen in France, and founder of many athletic federations, resigning from the Association Football Federation, following a decision by the council of the federation to meet an English team composed partly of amateurs and partly of professionals. It is believed that the steps taken by M. Vidal and M. Reichel may lead to a number of clubs running professional teams and the formation of a professional football league. It is stated that the adoption of professionalism will mean that dubs will no longer enjoy immunity from taxation and that they will have to pay to the State from 15 to 40 per cent, of their receipts. It is added that the State will take 40 per cent, of the gate receipts at the next France v. England Association game.

Following was M. Vidal’s reply to his critics: —"l don’t care a rap, but am thoroughly decided, and you can tell my friends in England to continue the campaign, so that sports which you taught, us some twenty years ago do not. degenerate. Sport in France, and in Rugby especially, must be clean and aunateur. The reason why the public powers encourage sport is because we knew that after the war we could, through it, regenerate ‘the race, but we will not stand seeing our efforts and the efforts made for the past twenty years to foster clean, amateur sport annihilated by the conduct of certain federations who, make of sport a social danger. The actual tendency is towards professionalism. I maintain all the accusations J have made—that Rugby in particular is no more a clean, gentlemanly amateur sport in France. Through big gates recently obtained, Rugby Snatches have become a spectacle and sport In general no longer instrumental in th© culture of the race. "The consequences are that too many young men, who know that they can make money by or through playing, have no other object in life than to become professionals, with the result that, when too old to play, and having, of course, saved no money, they find themselves without any trade or position, for in France it is not the saune as In England. "Rugby, especially in Southern France, is played by all classes That is why I will take all measures of a conservative and financial nature to maintain morality in sport. Our aim is to have as many young men as possible benefited by sport, and not to make a legion of professionals. In sport I maintain that professionalism should be the ex-