FCG’s starts to the season are, almost every time, chaotic. Last season, the Isère club began with several points deducted. This year, with the club still among the favourites for promotion to Top 14, the suspension of head coach Nicolas Nadau has ratcheted up the tension. Temporarily stood down over words judged offensive towards the club doctor during the match at Brive, the Grenoble coach is due to meet the club’s board on Friday morning to learn the final decision.

In the meantime, the players are closing ranks. The FCG squad decided on Tuesday morning to back Nadau and not to train. In plain terms, the Isère players are on strike. For now, Friday evening’s big clash against Provence is going ahead. “Whether the players go on strike or not will change nothing. The club’s position is clear: our coach’s comments during the match at Brive are unacceptable“, club president Patrick Goffi said in the pages of Rugbyrama.

He went on: “I’ve seen the LNR doctor’s report, it is very clear and precise about the terms that put our coach at fault. It refers to unacceptable comments towards our club doctor. That constitutes misconduct and the club took the decision to suspend him as a precautionary measure“. In his view, the players’ strike will “change nothing“, adding “that it is even counterproductive“. Or how to pour petrol on the flames…

“Profound disagreement”

Faced with the situation, Provale, the players’ union, have responded through an open letter from their president Malik Hamadache. The former prop is raising his voice, defending the players and even pointing to an unstable environment over recent weeks. “For several months, FC Grenoble’s players have been operating in a working atmosphere that does not, in our view, comply with rugby’s core values nor with the professional standards expected within a top-level club“, the former tighthead prop begins.

While Provale are keen to make clear that “this decision does not constitute an endorsement of the words or actions of Mr Nicolas Nadau“, the coach’s absence appears to have crystallised a deeper malaise. “The players wish to express their profound disagreement with the way the club is handling this event, which concerns a person of particular importance in the club’s sporting journey as well as in the development of all the players“, the letter continues.

According to Provale, the coach’s removal has laid bare a heavy “atmosphere”, marked by contested management, repeated disrespect towards the coaching staff and “working conditions considered inadequate in terms of both safety and peace of mind“. The union is now waiting for a constructive dialogue to open between the various parties so that the situation can calm down. Hardly ideal before taking on Provence, another promotion rival for Top 14, and something that will have to be resolved quickly…