Former France international Christophe Dominici said on Tuesday it was "an injustice" that the unnamed businessman from the UAE he represented had missed out on buying second-tier French rugby club Beziers.

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The 11-time French champions were relegated to the second tier in 2005 and have reportedly been struggling with financial problems.

They have been taken over by former Toulouse president Rene Bouscatel, leaving Dominici furious as he said the would-be investor from the United Arab Emirates had been close to signing a deal.

"We suffered an injustice, an offence. And not only us. Everything was validated. We signed a confidentiality agreement on 2 June," said Dominici, who played for France between 1998 and 2007.

"I have been on this project for two and a half months, day and night. I wanted to build a great team, with national and international players. We wanted to make this club the largest in Europe."

Beziers are thought to have debts of around €5 million.

"We learned that the discussions were over from AFP. It is an obvious lack of respect," added the 48-year-old Dominici.

He had already reportedly contacted former France teammate Frederic Michalak about the position of sporting director, and former New Zealand star Ma'a Nonu and ex-France centre Maxime Mermoz about joining the team.