the essential
In December 2022, Mathias Dantin, a 17-year-old teenager from Momères in the Hautes-Pyrénées, was the victim of a bad tackle during a UNSS rugby match which left him quadriplegic. The perpetrator, 18 years old at the time of the events, was tried this Tuesday, December 17 by the Tarbes court for violence resulting in permanent disability. A trial closely scrutinized by the amateur rugby community.
Dramatic accident or act of intentional violence? The thorny question was asked this Tuesday, December 17 at the criminal chamber of the Tarbes court in the Hautes-Pyrénées, seized after Mathias Dantin became quadriplegic at the age of 17 during a school rugby union match, on December 14, 2022.
That day, students from the Notre-Dame de Garaison high schools, in Monléon-Magnoac in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and Saint-Pierre-Pradeau-La Sède, in Tarbes, competed against each other during a sports competition organized at the Parc exhibitions in Tarbes by the National Union of School Sports (UNSS).
If the atmosphere was intended to be good-natured, the meeting turned into drama when the young Mathias Dantin, captain of his Tarbes team, did not get up after being tackled by a player from the opposing team. In the seconds that followed, Mathias’ family who was attending the match and the members of the support team realized that the situation was serious. Emergency services were called urgently.
The seriously injured teenager, plunged into a coma, underwent several surgical operations in the space of a few days and spent a long time in intensive care before the terrible diagnosis was definitively made: the cervical lesion caused by the shock led to a quadriplegia.
Symbol in spite of itself
News which has sparked an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity in Bigourde and well beyond. Players from Stade Bagnérais (where Mathias Dantin played as a junior), figures in professional rugby, or even simple citizens… many people contributed to the solidarity fund launched in support of the teenager. An initiative that touched the heart of young Mathias and his parents, faced with staggering healthcare costs.
Also read:
Young rugby player who became quadriplegic: the very nice gesture of the family of ex-rugby international Max Brito for Mathias Dantin
At the same time, the UNSS suspended school rugby competitions for a month. An unprecedented decision which has revived a sensitive debate: “should we play rugby at school?”
When several heads of schools announced that they would no longer offer discipline during Physical Education and Sports (PES) classes, the pill had difficulty passing through to the teachers concerned. PE teachers denounced “a breakdown of trust” in a letter addressed to the Minister of National Education at the time, Pap Ndiaye, through the SNEP-FSU union which came to the fore.
And while Mathias Dantin fought for his survival in the hospital, he despite himself became the symbol of the dangerousness of rugby. Until the affair shifts into another dimension.
10 years in prison for the player
Five months after the sporting event which changed the course of their son’s life, the parents of Mathias Dantin filed a complaint against future.
“Because we consider that there are several responsibilities […] It will be up to the prosecutor and the investigating judge to take into account all the elements and establish the responsibilities of each person”, declared at that time the lawyer for the Dantin family, Jérôme Marfaing (Toulouse bar). “The parents want the UNSS standards to be reviewed so that this type of accident does not happen again: either we adapt the supervision rules, or we must stop rugby in school sport”, argued the council.
But after several months of investigation, the responsibility of the UNSS was ruled out and the Tarbes public prosecutor’s office announced that it would prosecute the author of the tackle for intentional violence resulting in permanent disability. Placed in police custody in August 2024 then released under judicial supervision, the young man from Haute-Garonne, now aged 20, faces up to 10 years of imprisonment.
“Intentional violent behavior”
“The action committed by the accused was done outside of all the rules of rugby (which is confirmed by the video, the referees, the president of the UNSS) and results from voluntary behavior of violence. Namely a cathedral tackle, carried out more late because the victim was walking along the touchline after having given the ball several seconds before the facts”, argues the Tarbes prosecutor, Bérengère Prud’homme, who adds that testimonies collected would report of aggressive behavior by the Notre-Dame de Garaison high school player during matches.
Asked by us, Me Pascal Nakache (Toulouse bar), lawyer for the young man, indicated that he did not wish to speak in the media out of respect for his client whom he said was “traumatized by this affair.”
Did the player deliberately attack Mathias Dantin during this match by making a tackle that did not comply with the rules of the game? The decision of the Tarbes court could have a strong impact in the world of amateur rugby.
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