September 12, (THEWILL) – The French Rugby Federation has demanded the immediate dismissal of officials responsible for supervising a fatal recovery session in South Africa last month.
Medhi Narjissi, a 17-year-old France Under-18 player, lost his life after being swept away by a wave during team preparations for a five-nation tournament.
An internal investigation by the FFR revealed that the decision to organise the water-based session at Dias Beach was made without proper consideration of the dangers present, including rip currents, waves, and rocks. The federation stated that the supervision of the session was inadequate, with a lack of clear instructions given to staff members and players.
The FFR plans to approach the French Ministry of Sport to terminate the assignments of sports technical advisors in charge during the trip and take measures against other supervisors of the France U18 team.
Craig Lambinon, spokesman for South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute, suggested that strong rip currents likely pulled the teenager into the surf zone and out to sea. Narjissi, who had recently signed for Top 14 champions Toulouse, was the son of former Morocco men’s captain, Jalil Narjissi.
The incident has raised serious questions about the safety protocols in place for youth rugby teams during overseas trips.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
