'A witch hunt... ridiculous' - France superstar Antoine Dupont speaks out

France captain Antoine Dupont has taken aim at French rugby’s financial watchdogs, branding the Top 14 salary cap rules “too invasive” and claiming they are punishing players for the league’s own commercial success.

Speaking to AFP on Thursday, the injured scrum-half accused the National Rugby League (LNR) of overreach in its efforts to police player earnings, particularly through image rights and sponsorships linked to club partners.

“The salary cap rules prevent us from using our individual image through traditional advertising contracts,” Dupont said during the renewal of Toulouse’s partnership with Peugeot, a deal for which he also serves as a personal ambassador.

The LNR is currently reviewing the salary cap structure, with president Yann Roubert proposing a new, lower limit for next season. The current ceiling stands at €10.7 million per club — already reduced during the Covid-19 period — and includes income generated from commercial partnerships if those companies are also tied to the player’s club.

The League has defended the approach as “a recently reinforced principle of transparency,” arguing that the inclusion of such payments prevents indirect salary inflation through off-the-books deals.

Dupont, however, says that justification no longer holds water.

“Four or five years ago, clubs had fewer sponsorship deals,” he said. “Today, it’s becoming a problem for most of the players on the French team… because we already know we’re restricted by this salary cap.”

He added that demands raised by players’ union Provale had been ignored by the LNR.

France’s domestic competition is booming: the Top 14 has posted record attendance and broadcast figures, and its clubs have won the last five Champions Cups. Yet Dupont insists the players driving that growth are being left behind.

“We find ourselves in a growing rugby economy thanks to us, the players in the middle,” he said. “And in the end we don’t benefit from it because salaries are stagnating or even falling, and we can’t use our image. It’s starting to be too much.”

The Toulouse star also accused the LNR of crossing privacy lines in its enforcement efforts.

“Even within their right of oversight, they are trying to be increasingly invasive by asking us to name all of our partners, even those who are not partners with the club,” he said. “They want to know everything about our assets, so it’s turning into a bit of a witch hunt where they want to expose the cheaters but it’s becoming ridiculous.”

The LNR has maintained that “the debate is completely open,” and that Provale remains part of the consultation process — though Dupont’s remarks suggest that patience among the players’ ranks is wearing thin.