Quote: Foti with the goaty "
They backed down today, saying it was an error, well i think it was in their game plan all along, but it was leaked out accidentally by one of their own staff.'"
100% agree with that.
I think it just demonstrate the lack of foresight of the RFL.
1) They made a short sighted decision to impose the GF condition to Toulouse to try to have everybody happy. They were possibly thinking "Well maybe Toulouse will make the GF, and anyway later on we may change the rules, people won't remember"
.
2) They must have told the Toulouse staff "don't worry" (well I would have been worried if, like them, I have had to rely on an informal word from the RFL)
3) Then after some insisting probing from LE, they admit it one year later.
4) They see the uproar and change their mind the same day!
End result? Toulouse has certainly now less than 1 chance of 10 to be allowed to apply for the SL whilst everybody admit that for the game, and RL in France expansion with Toulouse would be a great option. This GF criterion should never has been imposed on Toulouse in the first place.
See what is coming? Because the RFL wants expansion, they will look for a French team which does not need to reach the GF criterion... As it happens there is one knocking at the door with apparently some financial guarantee. Look out for Paris in 2012, they are possibly the biggest winners of this whole burlesque story.
PS: to avoid misplaced criticism, the point I am making is that the crux of the problem is in 1), the fact that a poor decision was taken in the first place with certainly the idea it could be changed later on.
