Top 14 Owners and Bosses hit roadblock in salary cap talks

Marquee players and changes to the salary cap was reportedly on top of the agenda at a three-day meeting of Top 14 and ProD2 club presidents in Bordeaux this week.

A similar system to the one operating in the English Premiership was discussed at the meeting. 

However, RugbyRama is reporting that no agreement was met between the club and League and the decision has been postponed.

The plan, which is said to have the support of Toulon’s Mourad Boudjellal, Bordeaux’s Laurent Marti, and Lyon’s Yann Roubert, the salary cap would be lowered by between €300,000 and €500,000 from its current €11.3million to accommodate a single high-value player on a multi-season deal. That player’s salary would not be included in the cap limit.

If the system is approved, it could make it easier for French clubs to attract some of the top players who are being chased by teams from Japan and England. 

Another plan suggested by the owners, that was also backed by Toulon’s Boudjellal, would have allowed players who came up through a club’s academy for an unspecified number of years to be excluded from the cap. But it was discarded in favour of the marquee player system, L’Equipe said.