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The Rugby Pod

The Rise & Fall of Max Guazzini - Rugby's Greatest Ever Owner - Rugby Pod Stories

The Rugby Pod

The Ringer

Sports, Comedy, Rugby

4.75.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2022

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is the incredible true story of Max Guazzini, the former flamboyant French owner of Stade Français, who spent over €30 million and took the team from the 4th division to five-time champions of France before fraud and bankruptcy threatened it all. Naked calendars, hot tubs with Madonna, audacious kits, gladiatorial pre-match entertainment, tragic suicide, and fallouts, we speak to the players who experienced the amazing and tumultuous journey firsthand, including James Haskell, Ben Keyser, and Ollie Phillips. We also track down Max himself to hear his side of the remarkable story. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends and let us know on social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:29.4

Slack, DHQ. Between forgetting the sellotape, trying to squeeze eight people around a six-seater

0:34.9

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1:07.0

During the 24th, 2011 Paris, three people are indicted for organized fraud, forgery and a

1:13.0

place in decastity with a French judicial system. Max Kizini, the flamboyant owner of Staffan

1:18.5

Day, who'd spent over 30 million euros during his reign and had taken them from the 4th Division

1:23.5

in 1995 to five time friends champions, is forced to sell the club in order to avoid bankruptcy

1:29.2

and relegation. Naked calendars, audacious pink kits, glad

1:33.5

editorial pre-match entertainment, strippers, suicide, naked celebrity fans, titles, homophobia

1:40.4

and bankruptcy. This is the story of the rise and fall of Max Kizini, rugby's greatest

1:47.9

ever owner. His genius is unparalleled in the fact that he

1:52.0

kept the imagination he had the superstars, he had the branding, he had his own quirks,

1:56.9

everything worked together. He totally transformed the face of

2:00.2

rugby. He's a free spirit, he's a lunatic, but he's brilliant.

...

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