The day after his re-election, the president of the French Rugby Federation spoke about the future in the French team of Melvyn Jaminet, author of racist remarks, and of Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou, accused of rape in Argentina.
The position of the president of the FFR was expected. Freshly re-elected at the head of the French Rugby Federation on Saturday October 19, Florian Grill did not dodge questions about Melvyn Jaminet, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou and their possible future with the Blues, at the microphone of Grandes Gueules on RMC on Sunday.
After making racist remarks in a video on social networks, Melvyn Jaminet was suspended for 34 weeks by the Federation’s independent disciplinary committee last July. He could therefore potentially make his return to the French XV once his suspension is over, an eventuality that Florian Grill, who had “made a report to the prosecutor” as “article 40” requires him to do, does not wish to consider.
“It will be very complicated [de le revoir en Bleu]vis-à-vis the partners of the French team who have associated their brand with the image of rugby”, he explained, recalling that the Toulon player was wearing the rooster on the video when he made his remarks during the French tour of South America at the beginning of last July.
“It’s perhaps a double punishment but I think that at one point, when we wear the rooster, when we represent France, there are things that we are not allowed to do. In my opinion point of view, it will be very complicated and for me, it’s no,” concluded Grill.
Hope for Jegou and Auradou
For Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, the hopes of one day postponing the rooster are greater. The two French people are still indicted for a rape of a woman in Argentina, which allegedly took place during the South American tour, at the same period as the Jaminet affair. Florian Grill announced that the situation for the two young players was different from that of Toulonnais and that a favorable decision by the courts could allow them to return to Blue.
“We waited for justice to take its course. It first released them in Argentina, then it released them in France. Now, we are waiting for a possible dismissal of the case. We have been very clear, they will not play again that there is no dismissal to play again in the French team, they will also have to have adequate sporting performance,” he insisted.
The decision should not come before several weeks after the postponement of the examination of the dismissal to October 25. If there is a dismissal, the controversy is not likely to abate, however, more than two thirds of French people having expressed themselves against the return to the French team in a poll.
