According to the local press, the attack took place on the night of Saturday to Sunday at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where players and staff were staying during the test against the Pumas.
The South American tour of the French XV is going badly: after Melvyn Jaminet’s racist blunder, two new players of the Blues, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, are the target of a complaint for sexual assault and were arrested by the police in Argentina on Monday, AFP learned from a judicial source.
The two rugby players must be transferred to Mendoza (central-west), the scene of the alleged attack and where the Blues played their first match on Saturday against the Argentinian selection (28-13).
According to the local press, the alleged attack took place on the night of Saturday to Sunday at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where players and staff were staying during the test against the Pumas.
The prosecutor has requested the immediate arrest of the suspects, who are in Buenos Aires for the rest of their summer tour. Fabien Galthié’s Les Bleus are due to leave for Montevideo on Tuesday, where they will face Uruguay in a friendly match on Wednesday.
The French XV will return to Buenos Aires to challenge Argentina again on Saturday.
If the facts are true, they are incredibly serious. We must spare a thought for the young woman. This is the opposite of everything rugby is.
Florian Grill, President of the FFR
Pau second row Hugo Auradou and La Rochelle third row Oscar Jegou played in the Mendoza match.
“There is an investigation underway. We don’t have all the details yet since we just arrived in Buenos Aires with Jean-Marc Lhermet (vice-president, Editor’s note)”indicated the president of the FFR Florian Grill to several journalists including the AFP.
“If the facts are proven, they are incredibly serious. We must have a thought for the young woman. It is the opposite of everything that rugby is, everything that rugby does, everything that rugby builds (…) but we must let the investigation, which is necessary, take place.”he added.
“Rugby is anecdotal, everything else is secondary. The sequence is dramatic”he assured again.
Less than 48 hours after the Jaminet affair
This story comes in the wake of the Melvyn Jaminet affair, who was removed from the group after racist remarks in a video published on Sunday, which he said he was “ashamed”. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
“My mother who asks me if I partied (he sighs). I swear to you, the first Arab I meet on the road, I’ll hit him with my helmet.”declares, visibly annoyed, the player (25 years old, 20 caps) who films himself in this short undated video, posted on Instagram and since deleted.
Also read: Jaminet affair: “It shames me!”, Mourad Boudjellal, former president of the RCT, reacts to the controversy
In a press release published shortly after its broadcast, the French Rugby Federation condemned “with the greatest firmness the remarks made by Melvyn Jaminet which are totally unacceptable and contrary to the fundamental values of our sport.”
The player “has been sidelined with immediate effect and is leaving the France group currently present in Argentina,” added the FFR, stressing that a “internal investigation” was in progress for “take appropriate measures.”
Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra had praised on X a “rapid and appropriate reaction to the fear caused by Melvyn Jaminet’s comments”, adding “ZERO tolerance against racism”.
Jaminet came into play in the 73rd minute of the match won by France against Argentina (28-13), Saturday in Mendoza, for the first victory of the Blues at the Pumas since 2016. Replacing the full-back Léo Barré, he scored two points by converting the try of the winger Théo Attissogbe (76th).
RC Toulon, his club, reacted on his X account, “condemning the remarks made and dissociating itself from them” and also announcing the opening of a “internal investigation”.
On Sunday evening, Jaminet posted an apology message on his Instagram account. “I am deeply sorry and ashamed of my words”writes the player. “I want to apologize to everyone. I understand that this may have hurt and offended many people, and I want to make it clear that these comments in no way reflect my values or those of the French rugby team.”.
“Racism, in all its forms, is unacceptable and goes against everything I believe in. I understand the FFR’s sanction and I am at their disposal to shed light on this matter.”he concludes in his text signed Melvyn.
Jégou suspended until end of 2023 for positive cocaine test
Oscar Jégou, one of the two players in question, was suspended for one month on November 21 by the French Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for cocaine. The incident took place in the wake of the Montpellier-La Rochelle match on August 20, which was the first day of the Top 14.
At the time of the announcement of the suspension, the third-row player had already served it since he had been sidelined as a precautionary measure. According to L’Equipe, the sanction had been reduced from three to one month after the player had started treatment with a doctor and participated in an awareness program of the FFR.
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