Having been sidelined for several months, Stéphane Ruffier should no longer be linked with AS Saint-Etienne. A conciliation is even planned from next Tuesday between the different parties, in order to settle the terms of his departure. But nothing has happened and the Greens and the Ruffier clan should not agree.
As reported by L’Equipe this Friday, ASSE has been trying to get rid of its 34-year-old since June. During the upcoming meeting, the Saint-Etienne club will produce, in the face of Ruffier’s entourage, elements which, in his eyes, are sufficient to launch a dismissal procedure for serious misconduct.
Saint-Etienne hopes to save a big salary
The elements in question are thin and already known. The Greens particularly criticize their goalkeeper for refusing to participate in a training session and then leaving another training ten minutes before its end. Third reason for terminating his contract: Stéphane Ruffier is accused of not having worn a mask near the building for professional players during the health crisis.
But behind these three elements to launch a dismissal procedure, Saint-Etienne hopes to part with one of the highest salaries of its workforce. With a contract of 200,000 euros net per month until June 2021, Stéphane Ruffier could cost the club nearly two million euros. An amount that Saint-Etienne therefore wishes to save in order to recruit during the winter transfer window.
The management of AS Saint-Étienne knows that, taken independently, the faults with which it accuses Stéphane Ruffier appear minor but believe they have warned his player on several occasions. ASSE is counting on the repetition of these acts, seen as insubordination.
Ruffier will refuse to negotiate
Stéphane Ruffier’s clan does not intend to let it go by accepting the dismissal. During the conciliation on December 15, the 34-year-old goalkeeper will refuse to negotiate his departure. Due to the current context, no club can offer him such advantageous conditions and the player’s wish is therefore to complete his contract, even if it means completing a blank season. The case should therefore end in proceedings before the Prud’hommes.
A passage before the Prud’hommes Council would be unlikely to be successful in favor of ASSE. But the duration of such a procedure will allow the Greens to free up the payroll until the judgment (generally 12 to 36 months, date on which if the court finds them right, they will have nothing to pay. on the contrary, they will have to pay the six months’ salary plus probable damages in the name of moral prejudice for example). In addition to the thorny Ruffier case, Saint-Etienne is already embroiled in Prud’hommes proceedings with Ghislain Printant and another employee.
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