Racing 92 and Stade Francais games postponed over proposed merger of clubs

By Reuters

Image: Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti (right) and Stade Francais Paris president Thomas Savare (light) are planning to merge the two clubs

Two Top 14 matches set for this weekend are being postponed due to a dispute over a proposed merger of rugby clubs Racing 92 and Stade Francais.

Crisis talks were held on Friday but they failed to resolve the issue and as a consequence, the two Paris teams will not be in action, the LNR rugby union league has confirmed.

"The LNR bureau has taken the unprecedented nature of the situation into account and decided, exceptionally, to push back until later this weekend's matches between Castres Olympique and Stade Francais and between Montpellier Herault Rugby and Racing 92," it said in a statement.

Stade Francais players announced an open-ended strike last Tuesday after the shock announcement a day earlier that the two clubs' bosses were proposing a merger.

After several hours of discussions involving the clubs, players and the rugby authorities on Friday, a further meeting was scheduled on the disputed merger next Monday evening.

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New dates for the postponed fixtures will be announced next Monday at the latest, said the LNR statement, which spoke of "the shockwave and emotion" caused by the tie-up plan.

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