Top 14 newcomers overspend
Hang on: Mont-de-Marsan are in trouble before the season has even started
Newly promoted French Top 14 club Mont-de-Marsan have run into trouble with France's financial management watchdog, the DNACG, who have refused to rubber-stamp the contracts of five new signings.
The Direction nationale d'aide de contrôle et de gestion, the same body that got Albi in hot water and eventually relegated for financial irregularities last season, have not ratified the contracts of Rudolph Berek (from Dax), Nicolas Le Roux (Brive), Dimitri Senio (Albi), Ben Coutts (Reds, Australia) et Bernard Rolland (Falcons, South Africa) as the club does not have sufficient financial guarantees.
According to the French press, Mont-de-Marsan do not have the financial resources to guarantee the salaries of all their newest players. The five new recruits will now have to wait until the club can come up with an additional 400 000 Euros.
It's a better pill to swallow for the Landais who face an uphill battle to stay amongst France's elite. Club president Philippe Cazaubon however remains optimistic that the problem will quickly be sorted out.
"I'm not worried," Cazaubon told Midi Olympique on Tuesday, adding that the necessary founds would soon be available to compliment the club's EUR5m budget.
"The situation will be quickly resolved. We expected this sort of problem, since we've had 15 days less than the other clubs to finalise our budget."
Mont-de-Marsan hope to have the contracts of Coutts, Le Roux and Senio rubber-stamped before season kick-off on August 26. Those of Bérek and Roland might have to wait a few extra days.
Behind the scenes Cazaubon is said to be working day and night to balance the club's books, but as things currently stand, the situation should be worrying for fans, especially considering the harsh treatment dealt out to Albi last season.
Albi were in similar trouble in 2007 when seven of their pro contracts were refused. The Tarn club eventually managed get their contracts through the red tape but were relegated by a division at the end of the season for some creative accountancy.
Mont-de-Marsan have been warned.