Florian Grill, head of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), reacts during a press conference , Tuesday, July 16, 2024 in Paris. Florian Grill, addressed the two recent incidents involving the national rugby team before a test match against Argentina in Mendoza, about 1,000 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)
Triste nouvelle : un joueur clé du rugby a subi une blessure brutale au cou avec deux jambes cassées qui….
Following the events in Argentina, where Melvyn Jaminet made racist remarks and Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou were charged with ‘aggravated rape,’ Florian Grill has announced that he intends to increase punishments in the event of misconduct.
There was a hangover-like atmosphere at the French Rugby Federation (FFR) headquarters in Marcoussis, on Tuesday, July 16. Perched on a stool in the auditorium, where he was holding a press conference, FFR President Florian Grill put on a brave face but had to admit: “Yes, it’s a rude awakening. A real blow. I’m thinking of the tens of thousands of volunteers in clubs who explain that rugby builds you, makes you grow and helps you. This type of misconduct destroys all the work that is done every day.”
The two men had just returned from Argentina, where the French national team’s tour turned into a nightmare, with the “values of rugby” undermined by “a succession of very sad incidents.” First, there were the racist remarks – “The first Arab I come across, I’ll hit him with my helmet” – by Melvyn Jaminet, in a video posted on his Instagram account. Jaminet was immediately excluded from the group and sent back to France on July 7. Then there was the indictment for “aggravated rape” by Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, on July 12. The two are still in custody in Mendoza.