A question to the Government asked by the Deputy Olivier Véran in December 2012, but which only got an answer on August 27, 2013, allows us to come back to the mode of governance of sports federations and in particular the compensation of their leaders.A question to be followed in the next bill on sport.
Question 13499 from December 2012
Recalling that the exercise "a presidency of a national federation requires a very strong involvement", Mr. Olivier Véran notes that"it is generally retirees or seconded officials who occupy this function".
Article 261 7 1 ° of the General Tax Code allows each federation to compensate three directors (president, secretary, treasurer) "so that these positions can be filled by a larger panel". However, this provision still appears to be little applied according to the Deputy.
He thus asks the Minister "to specify the framework within which federation presidents can exercise their mandate, and in particular in the case of seconded officials, in order to improve the governance of sports federations".
The response of the Minister of Sports
The Minister confirms, in her response of August 27, 2013, that being a leader of a federation "can be difficult to reconcile with a full-time professional activity".
However, it recalls that there are several solutions.
Indeed, "the disinterested character which attaches to the statute of association (...) is not irreconcilable with the establishment of remuneration for one or more directors, within the limits established by article 261 of the general tax code". Nevertheless, this remuneration must be explicitly provided for in the statutes of the federation.
According to the Minister, a CNOSF survey conducted among the federations shows that "about half of them provide for such a possibility in their statutes. Among them, one in three actually exercised this option".
In addition, the leaders of a federation "may benefit from special representation leave to be able to participate in the work of certain bodies or commissions with a State service or with a local authority, within the limit of 9 days per calendar year".
"Finally, the managers who have the quality of civil servant can, under certain variable conditions and according to their body of attachment, ask to be seconded to the sports federation as an organization ensuring missions of general interest.".
However, the Minister recognizes the difficulties and indicates that "this question could be examined in the framework of the draft law on sport in preparation."
