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Mourad Boudjellal first became Toulon president in 2006. James Crombie/INPHO
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Mourad Boudjellal a controversial figure, but driven by his love for Toulon

The multi-millionaire may antagonise rugby fans, but his dedication to RCT is never in doubt.

RARELY HAS THE president of a rugby club become as famous [or infamous] as Mourad Boudjellal at Toulon.

The majority of rugby fans in the Northern Hemisphere know who the 53-year-old is, and quite probably have an opinion on him, while many supporters south of the Equator are equally as aware of Boudjellal.

Outspoken, controversial and never shy to vent his thoughts, the RCT president is a constant voice in the French rugby media, and increasingly the international rugby consciousness.

Boudjellal’s money and passion have transformed Toulon as a club, taking them from the Pro D2 to the peak of European rugby in seven years. A native of Ollioulais, a small town to the west of Toulon, his familial roots lie in Algeria and Armenia.

1989 saw Boudjellal launch comic book publisher Soleil Productions, which ultimately helped him to build his personal fortune, in turn allowing him to win election to the position of president of Rugby Club Toulonnais in 2006.

A life-long fan, Boudjellal immediately set about investing his money into the playing squad, insisting that he saw Toulon, still in the Pro D2 at that stage, as the “15th club of the Top 14.”

Tana Umaga, Rob Henderson, Dan Luger and Gonzalo Quesada were among the additions in that first wave of recruitment, although Toulon’s season ended in defeat in the promotion semi-finals.

FRANCE UMAGA Welcome to Toulon, Tana! The early Boudjellal days. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Undeterred, Boudjellal once again opened his cheque book, with Victor Matfield, George Gregan, Anton Oliver and Andrew Mehrtens brought on board to aid RCT’s successful drive to secure the Pro D2 title in 2008.

The investment did not stop there, with world-class players like Sonny Bill Williams, George Smith, Joe van Niekerk Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau among the most notable additions over the course of the following campaigns.

Toulon had to wait five more years for their next trophy, however, which finally arrived with the Heineken Cup last season. Defeats in the last two Top 14 finals have hurt, but Boudjellal’s enthusiasm for improving the club has never waned.

Indeed, 2011 saw the RCT president cede control of Soleil to rival Guy Delcourt for an undisclosed sum. While Boudjellal remains a shareholder, and was presumably amply remunerated, this move allowed him to dedicate full attention to his beloved Toulon.

That same year saw Bernard Laporte come on board as head coach, signalling Boudjellal’s re-invigorated desire to begin amassing silverware. The club’s professionalism took a major step forward, as did Boudjellal’s role in off-the-pitch public relations.

As Laporte has gone about building training, recovery, cultural and tactical structures that get the best from Toulon’s high-profile players, Boudjellal has become an expert in growing the club’s name away from match-day.

The multi-millionaire is ever present in the media, influencing and creating the issues that journalists focus on, constantly ensuring that Toulon are in the public sphere. Equally, Boudjellal plays the Alex Ferguson-figure; distracting from on-the-pitch realities with his hard-to-ignore and often madcap utterances.

Mourad Boudjellal after the match Boudjellal enjoys the Heineken Cup quarter-final success against Leinster last month. INPHO / Billy Stickland INPHO / Billy Stickland / Billy Stickland

Racing Métro president Jacky Lorenzetti recently questioned how honest Boudjellal is with the media, pointing out that his RCT counterpart very often expresses different opinions in private to those shared publicly.

Criticism of referees, arguments against the Ligue Nationale de Rugby‘s rulings on the number of non-French players in Top 14 squads, protestations that French rugby is ‘racist’; there are no places Boudjellal will not go.

Many dislike the manner in which the Toulon president goes about his business, but there can be no questioning his love for the club. While he insists that he has stopped putting his own money into the club, Boudjellal surely remains vital to RCT’s annual budget, which currently stands in the region of €30 million.

Toulon’s model of bringing on board highly-paid international stars has been roundly criticised outside France, but the local fans love the success and culture that has formed around RCT in recent years.

Boudjellal is a presence on match-day at the Stade Mayol, often prowling the sidelines and appearing on the pitch to celebrate wins. Never before have we seen a rugby president live his team’s results as much as Boudjellal does.

There are not many figures like him in the game, but then again, there are not many clubs like Toulon. If Saracens are beaten in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup final, Boudjellal will celebrate RCT’s victory as wholeheartedly as anyone.

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