the essential
The parents of Medhi Narjissi, who disappeared on August 7 in South Africa while he was on tour with the U18s of the French XV, held a press conference this Tuesday, August 27, in Agen (Lot-et-Garonne). Here is what to remember.
20 days have passed since the disappearance of Medhi Narjissi. This young player from Stade Toulousain, trained in Agen, was in South Africa to play a summer competition with the U18s of the French XV. But this trip turned into a nightmare. During a recovery session in the ocean, the young man was swept away by a wave and has been missing since. His father, Jalil, his mother, Valérie, as well as his sister, Inès – accompanied by their lawyer – were in front of the press on Tuesday, August 27 to discuss their distress in the face of this tragedy. Here is what we should remember.
Also read:
REPLAY. Disappearance of Medhi Narjissi: “It’s not an accident”, “broken arms at the Federation”… the anger of the young rugby player’s father
Who made the decision to go to this beach?
At the heart of the investigation: Dias Beach. It was on this beach, known to be extremely dangerous, that Medhi Narjissi was swept away by the ocean. The parents of the missing young man do not understand the choice to go to this place. “I was told that it was a beach where the French teams used to go,” Jalil Narjissi initially recounted. “But, after conducting our investigation, we learned that this recovery swim had never been done in years before on this beach,” he continued.
Also read:
REPORTAGE. Disappearance of Medhi Narjissi: “Dias Beach, a sublime beach, easy to access, but no one swims there”
According to him, it was Robin Ladauge, the physical trainer who made the decision to go to this place. “The manager, Stéphane Cambos, specified this in the report of the hearings of the South African inspectors, to which I had access. He was not aware and was never consulted for this swim. It was Robin Ladauge who made the decision to go to this beach. A personal initiative.” Which Medhi Narjissi’s family does not understand.
Also read:
Disappearance of Medhi Narjissi: Time for truth for the family who have taken legal action
The heroism of Oscar Boutez
In this tragic afternoon, a young man was heroic. It was Oscar Boutez, teammate of Medhi Narjissi. The latter, according to the family’s account, “went back into the water to look for Medhi” while the latter was struggling. “Oscar is the only one who had the balls to go. He is a hero for us, even if it did not bring Medhi back, said Jalil Narjissi. No member of the management went there. There was no action on their part to go and get the two kids”, deplored the parents of the young Stade Toulousain player.
Also read:
Disappearance of Medhi Narjissi: “Humanity and kindness”… Stade Toulousain has opened a kitty to support the player’s loved ones
Jalil Narjissi charges the FFR and Florian Grill
A legitimate anger that opens the way to many questions. Quickly, the French Rugby Federation suspended (temporarily) the staff of the U18s of the French team. Florian Grill, its president, recently explained that “nothing justified going to this beach, it was not in the program”. At present, only three members of the management have been heard in South Africa while awaiting the conclusions of the internal investigation conducted by the Federation which had sent Jean-Marc Béderède to South Africa to try to obtain answers.
The fact remains that the feeling of incomprehension dominates among the family, who did not hide their anger on Tuesday. “How can we let something like this happen?” wondered Valérie Narjissi, Medhi’s mother. “They played with the lives of our children,” continued Jalil. And the president of the FFR, Florian Grill, was not spared by the former professional player. “We would have liked to see him by our side even if it would not have brought Medhi back. He travels for two-bit business. But for our son, no,” he fumed, specifying that apart from the first telephone conversation on August 7, the only means of communication with the boss of the FFR was Whatsapp.
His wife, for her part, spoke of “broken arms” when referring to the Federation. “We trusted them and our sun disappeared,” she cried. Now, it’s time for justice since Valérie and Jalil Narjissi were questioned by the police on Tuesday, August 27. “A judicial investigation should be opened quickly,” assured their lawyer Me Edouard Martial.
