During the long press conference (nearly an hour) that they held this Tuesday, August 27 in Agen, Jalil Narjissi and his wife, Valérie, bitterly regretted the lack of support for them from the French Rugby Federation.
If he doesn’t hold him responsible – “he is president of the FFR, it is not his fault, I know that” – Jalil Narjissi nevertheless bitterly regretted the lack of support from Florian Grill and, more generally, from the French Rugby Federation in the ordeal he is going through, after the disappearance of his son Medhi at sea. This Tuesday at a press conferencethe former SU Agen hooker returned to this subject in particular and the fact that no top-ranking leader of the “Fédé” had travelled to support them in South Africa.The president of the FFR, I don’t have it eu thata alone times on the phonephone, August 7, 5:59 p.m. to tell me that my son was missing. Then I justexchanged with him by whatsapp. He did not move there either when we were there. However, We would have liked to see him with us.”
He then became more acerbic.”Il sand moves on to other business more for our son, for the death of our son, he does not come? There had Bedehard, OK (Jean-Marc Béderède, in charge of the FFR’s internal investigation, Editor’s note). But who was supposed to bere by our sides ? The South African Federation was there for usoui. The FFR, for its part, was satisfiede to manage our tickets of plane. IWhere was he, the president?nt ? He travels for cheap business but our son died at 17, he doesn’t travelathis step.”
“I got it through Whatsapp, only through Whatsapp”
These words were read, heard and regretted by a close friend of Jalil Narjissi, Abdelatif Benazzi, also a member of the FFR and close to Florian Grill. “Jalil is my brother. I tell him every day that I love him, that I am there for him. That his pain hurts me. I am in Agen, like him. Next to him, he knows it and I have spoken to him several times on the phone. His pain is immense, I understand it, but he cannot say that we are not there for him. And I repeat to him: I will always be there for my brother.”
A little later, still during this press conference and prompted by a question about the support provided by his son’s club, Stade Toulousain, Jalil Narjissi returned to his relations with the FFR since his son’s disappearance.The Stadium toulousain has been very present for us, the South African federation too. It doesn’t bring back Medhi but it feels good to feel supported. I have Ugo Mola on the phone every day, I have Also Didier Lacroix every day. They are there for us, they help us. The French embassy was at our side every day when we were in South Africa. She did everything to help us. More the president of the FFR, where was he ? I have it eu par Whatspp. Seulement by Whatsapp. I had a text message from Mr. Lhermet. A text message, not even in person. Voilà… They were not pas presents on the way there, not present on return, not presents on the spot. Nothing. Grill, hesimply proposand a video when Iai râland at the consulate but he was not even there when we returned, at least out of respect for notre fils.”
Florian Grill reacts: “I imagined that my presence was inopportune, I was perhaps wrong”
“Faced with these remarks, I first consider that I have nothing to say, except to respect this anger and to listen to it. Of course, I immediately asked myself the question of going to South Africa.
Besides, later on, I wanted to go there, to join him. I may have misinterpreted his needs, his desires: he refused my video calls, some of my calls. I imagined that my presence was inopportune, that he did not want to see me since I was also the one who had told him about the tragedy. I said to myself: “don’t impose your presence, he doesn’t want it”. I may have been wrong. Since then, I have not stopped writing to Jalil, telling him that I am at his disposal whenever he wanted, however he wanted: by video, by phone or in person. That we could see each other.
The next step now is the promise I made to him: all the light will be shed on this affair. Everything will be done, he has my word. Absolutely everything, I promise, out of respect for his son but also for all those who are still here and who are very affected. The internal investigation will have to define responsibilities, whether collective or individual. Without waiting for the result of this investigation, we can already say that it is incomprehensible and unacceptable that children are put in the water at this place. Period. And I understand that he is suing the FFR. I am a father, I would surely have done the same in his place.
I can’t blame him if he feels that way. My responsibility is to respect his anger. Before that, after thinking it over with my team, we had preferred to send Jean-Marc Béderède to the scene to take charge of the internal investigation that seemed urgent, but also of all the coordination on site. I took on this role from France. We organised the emergency travel of Jalil and his relatives to the scene, we immediately set up a psychological unit and spoke a lot with the South African Federation, which also acted for us and on our behalf, on site. In France, we also had to speak with the other players who quickly returned, with their clubs and their families. There too, we set up psychological support units, emergency help numbers. I was more useful in France, it was my humble idea, to act immediately, rather than spend two 12-hour flights.” Lé.F.
“The children were in their underwear.”
Previously, there had been a lot of discussion about the sequence of events. How could Medhi Narjissi, a young 17-year-old scrum-half, have been swept away by a wave off the Cape of Good Hope on 7 August during a tour of the French under-18 team? And besides, what were they doing in the water, all these youngsters, for this impromptu recovery session on a beach known to be dangerous?This beach is dangerous, oui, It’s marked everywhere! There are signs everywhere. All the South African Rangers who patrol In the area tells you” Jalil, Medhi’s father, was still hammering home this Tuesday.
And then, as the press conference progressed, the questions moved to the area of responsibilities.”They are all responsible. The 12 adults Supervisors are responsible. Personne did not come forward to stop this. They endorsed, SO they are responsible” concluded Jalil Narjissi.
Previously, he had clearly pointed the finger at the physical trainer, Robin Ladauge.It was he who took this decision, of on propre initiative. In the report, Standphane cambodge, the manager, your that he is notn was not informed. It is a decision that Ladauge took of himself. […] The only one in the water is Ladauge. He has a buoy with him, which he picked up on the beach, 90 meters from the water. He wears a tboring in nandoprAnd“No. The children were in their underwear.”
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