Il direttore generale di Energy Standard Jean-Francois Salessy sembra aver dato le dimissioni dal suo incarico lo stesso giorno in cui il suo club ha timbrato il biglietto per la finale della International Swimming League (ISL).
Salessy, assunto come GM di Energy Standard prima del lancio della lega nel 2019, domenica sera ha inviato una lettera aperta al fondatore di ISL, Konstantin Grigorishin, criticando in modo pesante la gestione della lega.
Le dimissioni non vengono dichiarate in maniera esplicita, anche se sono chiare dal tono della lettera.
Firmando la lettera come “ex direttore generale” di Energy Standard, Salessy dice:
“non voglio più far parte del vostro falso film”
Nella lettera, Salessy discute la sua consapevolezza di essere stato assunto come GM del club solo perché era l’agente di una delle star della squadra, Florent Manaudou.
Sostiene che l’unico vero accordo che lui e Grigorishin abbiano mai raggiunto è stato quello di avere la città di Parigi collegata alla squadra. Mentre lavorava per portare sponsor e nuotatori verso il team, ha scoperto che i suoi sforzi erano ostacolati dall’atteggiamento critico di Grigorishin nei confronti dei Giochi Olimpici.
“Tutti gli sforzi sono stati danneggiati dalle sue scarse dichiarazioni alla stampa e dalle critiche costanti sui Giochi Olimpici”
Continua scrivendo: Ricordo ancora ‘I Giochi Olimpici appartengono al passato'”.
Salessy afferma che il suo ruolo è stato ridotto a semplice ricerca di sponsor, poichè era James Gibson (capo allenatore) sotto le direttive di Grigorishin a svolgere i compiti da General Manager.
Il Direttore Generale Afferma che Nessuna Sua Proposta E’ Stata mai accolta
ho cercato di integrare i nuotatori francesi nella squadra per dare credibilità e realtà alla nostra franchigia francese.
Ciascuna delle mie proposte non si addiceva al vostro ‘allenatore interno.
“Beryl Gastaldello è ingestibile. Mélanie Henique non è abbastanza polivalente. Non abbiamo bisogno di Charlotte Bonnet“.
“Energy Standard Paris ha un solo nuotatore francese ad oggi. Per quanto emblematico sia, sono l’unico a trovare ridicola questa situazione?
Alla fine, ho capito troppo tardi (che) sono stato assunto solo perché sono l’agente di Florent Manaudou“.
Diversi atleti hanno detto a SwimSwam che i primi pagamenti del solidarity program, previsti per il 31 ottobre, non sono stati effettuati. Secondo quanto riferito, non è stato pagato alcun premio in denaro ad oggi.
ISL COME UN FILM
Salessy continua nella sua lettera scrivendo:
l’ISL si sta “occupando solo degli attori principali” con premi in denaro (i nuotatori e i loro allenatori). “Gli agenti, i GM, i fornitori di servizi, i tecnici e il personale di supporto sono solo comparse”.
Inoltre, egli menziona anche il fatto che la lega non è stata in grado di trovare sponsor, e che il programma delle partite, il sorteggio delle semifinali e il budget della squadra non sono disponibili al pubblico semplicemente perchè è tutto nelle mani di Grigorishin.
“E’ giusto imporre un tetto salariale quando i soldi dei bonus sono allineati solo sulla classifica della squadra? L’equità e la trasparenza finanziaria devono essere le basi, soprattutto quando si criticano altre forme di competizione”.
Finisce dicendo che “i dadi sono tratti” (a favore di Energy Standard), e che Grigorishin non ha mai risposto a diverse email da lui.
LA LETTERA INTEGRALE
Qui sotto, trovate la lettera aperta completa.
Si noti che è inedita ed è stata inviata in inglese.
Mr GRIGORISHIN,
If I choose the form of an open letter to express myself today, it is in the hope of allowing others to open their eyes to your functioning and way of thinking, so that they will avoid similar disappointments.
I met you alone face to face in March 2019 in Antalya for the first and last time under this format.
You asked me on this occasion to become the General Manager of the ” ENERGY STANDARD ” team; (your company’s name) the only team to bear the name of a company – in which Florent MANAUDOU, an athlete for whom I am the agent, had just been integrated.
The creation of a professional league in a sclerotic and dusty sport was attractive. I was convinced that you would ask me to choose between my role as swimmer’s agent and management’s role of elite swimmers, which delighted me with the human and sporting perspectives. The salary conditions that you clearly offer me that day also suited my expectation. I still believe in a sense of honour and the face of the word.
I was happy to be back in the position I held for 7 years – and with a certain success – within the Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille The new experience allowed me to Work again with one of my ex-coach James GIBSON under management of Romain BARNIER.
During too many months I tried to take a position that James was carrying out fully without me, under your direct authority and with a dedication that I thought was linked to British pragmatism and phlegm. My mission was therefore reduced to find sponsors, the swimmers’ cenacle, the fuel of ISL, being your reserve area.
During the last years now, the only agreement we reach, not without difficulty, was to included the word PARIS to ENERGY STANDARD franchise name and this, in order to create a real club spirit, a “fan base” as a collective competition and a team confrontation implies. The main objective was also to attract french partners.
I looked for (and found) accommodation facilities in Paris to provide Paris identity critical to attract partners, I found accommodations and facilities in Paris fully sponsored, I hired a consultant (paied on my own budget thinking I was being paid) to prepare the magic events in Trocadero-Champ de Mars or in the most prestigious stadiums in France, I financed a dedicated website for the franchise on my own budget, I triggered the rebrodcast ISL season 1 on a Free to air french channel and I leveraged all media networks by publishing press articles, organizing press conferences ant tv networking. By away, once again, I dedicated my personnel relationship with movie makers finalizing a documentary with florent partners PUMA group exclusively mainly shooted during ISL compétition and broadcasting on AMAZONG PRIME and BEIN SPORT.
All the effort has been damaged by your poor press statements like constant criticism on Olympic Games. I still remember
” The Olympic Games belong to the past “.
At the same time, I tried to integrate French swimmers into the Team to provide credibility and reality to our french franchise. Each of my proposal did not suit your “in-house coach”: “Beryl Gastaldello is unmanageable, Mélanie HENIQUE is not polyvalent enough, we don’t need Charlotte BONNET etc.”. ENERGY STANDARD PARIS has only one French swimmer to date. As emblematic as he is, am I the only one to find this situation ridiculous? At the end, I understood too late I’ve been hired only because I am Florent MANAUDOU‘s agent.
However, my personal case remains secondary. This is illustrating the fact that ISL is an icebergs with an attractive visible part and an immerge dark side.
I must admit that you put a lot of energy into building a competition format, an attractive audiovisual product, and only taking care of the main actors of the film with prize money : the swimmers and their coaches who were underpaid until then.
The swimmers’ agents, GMs, service providers, technicians and support staff are just extras in this movie, replaceable at will, therefore malleable at will. Therefore picky agents and too overly curious journalists are not welcome. You don’t pay the GMs, the administrative staff and the suppliers who can in any case be replaced in a perpetual turnover.
« Only the rich get credit »
Your Billionaire’s status prevents the candid and passionate to ask you for guarantees, for legal contracts (my case among others), and from worrying about a minimum of formalism.
In the no man’s land of international competitions, with sclerotic authorities, nobody wonders the way to define the ISL matches’ schedule (thanks to ENERGY STANDARD), how the draw is organized (thanks to ENERGY STANDARD), how the budgets of each team are determined (thanks to ENERGY STANDARD) since you fully owned the League. Is it fair to impose a salary cap, when bonus money is only aligned on the team’s ranking ?
Fairness and financial transparency have to be the basics, mainly when you criticize other competition format.
I am a sports enthusiast and I could have been volunteer to join ISL project if it had been made clear to me from the beginning. But until now I reserve my charitable actions so that the poor are less poor and not so that the rich can afford beautiful toys.
I hate manipulation and if creating a swimmers’ union (“The Alliance” (!) led by the nice and devoted Matt BIONDI) is laudable. Such initiative can be managed and organized only out of private interests to be able to discuss fairly with authorities like the IOC, FINA but also…ISL.
ISL is boat without governance but with only one shareholder and generals without powers.
You can argue that I have not found any sponsors (I have found some for others in the meantime by the way). No one has found any for you, could be in France, Europe, USA or elsewhere. It is therefore easier to incriminate sellers than the product itself. An age-old process.
Being the only GM excluded of Swimmers’ hotel, I prefer to laugh.
I no longer wish to be part of your fake movie.
I am coming back to France. For once we have a joint posture: it won’t change anything.
I love sport, I love swimmers, I admire them.
But the dice are loaded, and ultimately it’s insulting those champions.
I never got any answers to the emails I sent you.
I therefore exonerate you from answering this letter. You will be too busy talking about pré-modernity – your dada- by taking the swimmers to witness one by one in the lobby of your hotel.
Excuse me, but for me, all of this, is more like the Middle Ages.
-Jean-François SALESSY
Ex General Manager
Energy Standard Paris
