Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens face backlash in Beziers

AS Béziers-Hérault have found themselves mired in controversy following their failure to qualify for the Pro D2 play-offs, with owners Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens forced to issue a statement amid growing unrest over the status of head coach Pierre Caillet.

While it had been reported that Caillet was set to remain at the club, he was told to leave the day after Béziers’ final-day win over CA Brive – a decision that sparked a backlash from the playing group. A total of 40 players signed an open letter calling for Caillet’s reinstatement and criticising the club’s management in recent months.

“We have been kept in the dark since the new board’s arrival in October. We haven’t been formally introduced, we haven’t been heard, and we haven’t been supported in any way,” the letter read. “We express our solidarity with our head coach, our commitment to what he has built here, and our desire to see the club retain its identity.”

Caillet, who guided Béziers to the play-offs last season, attracted criticism earlier this year for continuing to select Hans N’Kinsi and Taleta Tupuola—players who have since been convicted of domestic abuse. N’Kinsi is serving a six-month prison sentence, while Tupuola received a 14-month suspended sentence.

On 21 May, Skinstad and Mehrtens issued an open letter addressing concerns over the club’s direction. They pledged significant investment in infrastructure and outlined ambitions to return Béziers to the Top 14, but notably did not mention Caillet by name – fueling speculation of discontent behind the scenes.

Local media have also reported the departure of several long-standing sponsors, a development that could further strain the club’s finances heading into the new campaign.

Skinstad and Mehrtens, the former Springbok and All Black internationals respectively, took control of the 11-time French champions in November 2024.

While the pair have been working quietly to shape the club’s future, recent events have left the project under scrutiny, with supporters increasingly uneasy and comparisons being drawn to the turmoil at fellow fallen giant Biarritz.