French XV players accused of sexual violence: opposition to the FFR calls for an administrative inquiry

The opposition to the French Rugby Federation is coming out of the woodwork. In a letter dated Thursday, July 11, the 16 opposition members of the board of directors sent a letter to Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra to request the opening “without delay” of an administrative investigation following the accusations of aggravated rape against international players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou in Argentina.

“How can this happen within our Federation? What is the place and role of elected officials with the French XV, and more broadly with all national teams? Where have we failed in our basic obligations? How have we protected the French Team?”, ask the members of the group Passionnément rugby et la voix des clubs, led by the former captain of the French XV Guilhem Guirado.

An electoral campaign context

Florian Grill’s opponents are questioning the management of the French XV, which they suspect of not having respected the “professional player’s booklet” as well as a “charter of rights and duties” put in place by the FFR in 2021. “Does this protocol still exist? If so, was it respected?”, they ask. This letter is part of the electoral campaign for the presidency of the FFR, whose elections are scheduled for October 19. Florian Grill, the current president questioned by his opponents, has also acknowledged flaws on our site.

“Clearly, the principle that was based until now on the autonomy and accountability of players, with leaders who control the youngest, has shown its limits,” he told Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France. For this tour in Argentina, also marked by the racist remarks made by Melvyn Jaminet in a video on Instagram, the French XV did have a head of delegation (Bernard Viviès, who accompanied the Toulon full-back to France after his exclusion from the group) and a tour manager, Mathieu Brauge.