DEPECHE INFO. Volleyball: Toulouse Spacer’s president Bruno Sola resigns
Bruno Sola has decided to leave the presidency of Spacer’s in Toulouse, just a few months after taking power. An inescapable question as the differences were deep, especially concerning the structural evolution of the club.
Barely six months after his inauguration Bruno Sola (44) will announce this evening that he is resigning from the presidency of the Spacers, which the club will formalize in the wake of its Board of Directors. A decision taken “with regret”, he believes, when the founder of the Bizness group (see opposite) had arrived with the ambition to “make Spacer’s a brand and a stronger economic model”. To justify this decision “considered though unusual” Bruno Sola evokes “a lack of full freedom and action in the sporting and strategic transformation of the club”.
Between the lines it turns out that the entrepreneurial vision of this recognized and accomplished businessman was far too far from the associative model in which the club has been evolving since its and of which the historic leaders of Spacer’s are responsible, all of whom remain in office despite the change of presidency.
The cohabitation did not last long and this clash of cultures did not survive the good initial intentions of the one who had accepted this baroque collaboration while perhaps secretly hoping to succeed in changing mentalities. While he never believed in this economic model, he undoubtedly underestimated the conservatism of certain leaders who are very attached to this quasi-family functioning. And if the latter had initially subscribed to his desire to energize the club, today they point the finger at his impatience when he mentions “the obstacles which in his eyes hinder the role of a president”.
A lack of knowledge of the world of sport
This new turn that Bruno Sola called for came to light on the evening of the home premiere, facing Cambrai, in a sports center filled with supporters and local personalities. A real success which then augured a fruitful marriage thanks to a certain know-how, in terms of marketing in particular.
Many would have liked him to limit his field of action to his area of expertise, but he had a much more global vision of his. To the point of interfering in the sports field but without mastering its mysteries or its very particular codes. Here again the transplant did not take and some of its initiatives, considered clumsy, sowed the problem, in particular with the technical staff. End of the story.
Sponsor: a real risk for next season
The formalized divorce now remains (and above all) to settle the economic question and the future of the partnership with the Bizness group. This Toulouse SME specializing in “new generation training”, created in 2007 by Bruno Sola, and in full expansion since (14 ME in turnover in 2020) is a financial backer which Spacer’s absolutely need. The club has also taken care in a press release to “thank” its founder “for the financial, logistical and human contribution of the group he leads”. The two parties did not wish to discuss the amount of this global aid but it is “very important” according to a person close to the file.
What about the next two seasons?
Bruno Sola has already announced that his group “will remain a strategic partner of the club throughout the 2021-2022 season”. Not a word, on the other hand, on the two following seasons whereas it was initially envisaged a partnership of three years.
At the club, we keep our fingers crossed that the future ex-president will maintain his initial plan, but the latter will help to learn more about the overall strategy to come. It is Jean Azema, his predecessor will take over the interim while awaiting the election of a new president at the beginning of 22. He will also have the heavy task of leading the reflection on “the structural adaptation of the club in order to meet the demands of the club. professional sport and the expectations of the National Volleyball League ”.
And everyone has understood that what will come out of it will largely condition Bruno Sola’s final decision on whether or not to extend this precious partnership.