Parents of Missing French Rugby Player Blame Federation for South Africa Tragedy

Medhi Narjissi’s parents are having trouble mourning. Swept away by the strong currents at Diaz Beach, near Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa on August 7, while the players were in a recovery session, the young Stade Toulousain player gave no more sign of life and his body was never found. Until then, the intensive searches carried out by the local authorities have been fruitless. After hours of hearings at the Agen police station, Jalil, the father of the French rugby player, Valérie, his mother and Inès Narjissi, his older sister, speak out for the first time on the case during a press conference. They expressed their disappointment. "Every morning, the three of us survive. The pain of losing a child is unspeakable. And it should never have happened, especially not under these conditions," says Valérie. Her husband confides: "It was 5:59 pm when he (Florian Grill, the president of the French Rugby Federation, ed.) said that an accident had happened and that Medhi had been swept away by a wave. And then everything stops."

The family man knows Diaz Beach: "It’s one of the most dangerous beaches in Africa, with huge waves, currents that sweep you away and wash the sand from under your feet. I went into the water, it’s unimaginable. [...] There are 4m waves every five seconds, it’s impossible to put children in there." He holds Rémy Ladauge, the physical trainer, primarily responsible for the tragedy. "It’s him who makes the decision to put the children