Montpellier cited for salary cap breach - report

Montpellier could face punishment for salary cap breaches according to a report by French newspaper Midi Olympique.

The 2019/20 TOP14 season has been abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic but Montpellier could still face punishment for failing to adhere to the TOP14's salary cap. France's top-flight competition requires clubs to maintain their wage bill in the region of 11.3 million euros for their rosters that can include up to forty players.

According to the report from Midi Olympique, the LNR's salary cap manager Samuel Gauthier has found evidence that Montpellier have failed to adhere to the cap. Having gone to the club to investigate Gauthier is said to have filed a dossier to the LNR and TOP14 outlining Montpellier's breach. 

This is not the first time Montpellier have been accused of breaching the cap, in 2017 the club were handed a 400,000 euro fine for breaching the cap, a penalty which they successfully appealed. A year earlier, Montpellier had also been accused of breaching the cap by 350,000 euros but the FFR had cleared them of wrongdoing.

The club recently confirmed the signing of Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach while they were heavily linked to the signing of World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit while there are have also been reports that Montpellier flyhalf Handre Pollard is the highest-paid player in the game.