Published on 08/27/2024 at 7:34 p.m. • Updated on 08/28/2024 at 6:22 a.m. Written by Julie Chapman share this article:
On August 7, Mehdi Narjissi, 17, disappeared off Diaz Beach, a beach in South Africa. Interviewed on Tuesday, August 27 by the police at the Agen police station, the player’s family spoke directly about the case, condemning the French Rugby Federation supervisors who were present at the scene.
Jalil, Valérie and Inès Narjissi are facing it. Their faces drawn by days of mourning and the hours of interviews they have just conducted with the police officers at the Agen police station, they are preparing to deliver their testimony, between anger, pain and thirst for justice.
Twenty days after the disappearance of Medhi Narjissi, the body of the French rugby hopeful, licensed by Stade Toulousain, has still not been found. On August 7, he and part of his team were at Diaz Beach, near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Thousands of kilometers away, his parents are on vacation when they receive a call from Florian Grill, the president of the French Rugby Federation. “It was 5:59 pm when he told me that an accident had happened and that Medhi had been swept away by a wave. And then everything stops,” begins, out of breath, Jalil Narjissi, Medhi’s father.
Grieving, the family of Medhi Narjissi is now waiting for a response from the courts. • © France 3 Aquitaine
Hoarse with pain, Valérie tries to describe their daily life since August 7. “Every morning, we survive, all three of us. It’s unspeakable the pain you can have when you lose a child. And it should never have happened, especially not in these conditions.”
That day, Medhi Narjissi took part in a discovery day “usual”at the Cape of Good Hope. “During our on-site investigation, we learned that they went there regularly, but they had never done this recovery swim at that location,” says Jalil Narjissi.
It’s not an accident, it was caused.
Jalil Narjissi
Father of Medhi Narjissi
In the voice of this grieving father, anger makes the words tremble. “It is one of the most dangerous beaches in Africa, with huge waves, currents that carry you away and sweep the sand under your feet. I went into the water, it is unimaginable”he says, recounting their stay, immediately after the call, at the scene of the tragedy. “There are 4m waves every five seconds, it’s not possible to put children in there.”
According to the family, the physical trainer is the primary person responsible for the tragedy.. “He is the one who makes the decision to put the children in the water, on his own initiative, according to the report I had with the South African inspectors. He was the only one in the water, in a neoprene suit. Our children were in their underwear,” souffle Jalil Narjissi. “I can’t understand what was going through his head.” According to Medhi Narjissi’s father, this incursion into the water was even prepared. “The fitness trainer had a buoy, his neoprene outfit, it wasn’t for staying on the sand”he says.
There are signs everywhere warning that the beach is dangerous. No one goes swimming there. Last year, the trainer also wanted to do this swimming, but he was refused.
Jalil Narjissi
Father of Medhi Narjissi
However, it also condemns “l’inaction” of the rest of the management. “There were twelve supervisors in total, eight of whom were on the beach. When the manager arrived, he would have taken off his t-shirt to join them. Nobody said stop why the manager, even if he was not aware, seeing the children in the water, did not order them to get out of the water?”Fulmine Jalil Narjissi.
For this family, the rest of the story of Medhi’s last moments becomes even more heartbreaking. “All the children were looking in the distance at two figures struggling. Only Oscar, his teammate and best friend, tried to get him out of the water. It would take him more than 20 minutes.”Jalil Narjissi chokes on a sob.
He’s our hero, even if he didn’t bring Mehdi back, he’s the only one who tried to save him.
Valerie Narjissi
Mother of Mehdi Narjissi
Valérie, his wife, tries to take over, facing the journalists walled in the silence agreed upon in these circumstances. “We entrusted our 17-year-old child to an institution, the elite. His jersey, my son, he kissed it, he was so proud of it. If they want to do something extraordinary, let them do it, but not with our children,” asserts Medhi Narjissi’s mother.
She denounces a form of betrayal by the club. “We trusted them, but I feel like they are just useless people, it is unlikely that they will not give it back to me,” exclaims Valérie Narjissi. “Today, my son is in the headlines in the news, he should have become a player and been on the front page for that. I will never forgive them.”
► Excerpt from the press conference
video duration: 00h10mn55s
On August 7, Mehdi Narjissi, 17, disappeared off Diaz Beach, a beach in South Africa. Heard this Tuesday, August 27 by the police of the Agen police station, the player’s family spoke directly about the case, condemning the supervisors of the French Rugby Federation, present at the scene. • ©France 3 Aquitaine
According to the family, the staff present did not realize that they were supervising children. “These are players who are going through something crazy, in the elite. Who is going to say no to going into the water if they are asked? Not our son. He wanted to be the best. As a result, he listened to an adult who led to his death,” Valérie Narjissi reasons, before letting out a sob.
On-site supervision called into question, but also the support of the federation. “We would have liked to see the president at our side. It wouldn’t have brought Medhi back, but out of respect for his memory, he could have come, even to return to France.”says Jalil Narjissi, specifying that he is talking, “via WhatsApp” with the president of the FFR.
Today, the family wants “guilty people and answers”, “above all, let them be punished”. “They are all responsible. They must speak, they must explain why they did not react. By condoning, they are guilty”hammer Jalil Narcissi.
A complaint was therefore filed at the beginning of last week with the public prosecutor’s office in Agen, where Medhi Narjissi and his family live. “This is the procedure in the event of a worrying disappearance when we are looking for the causes of the disappearance,” indicates Me Edouard Martial, the family’s lawyer, who assures that the Agen prosecutor should quickly decide on the expected opening of a judicial investigation. “He reacted immediately, without waiting or procrastination.”
With drawn features, Medhi Narjissi’s parents returned to the disappearance of their son on August 7. • © France 3 Aquitaine
While he hopes for a quick opening, he warns that the delays before obtaining answers will be long. “There will be a hearing from many people throughout France, the 28 players as well as the staff who formed the U18s, those who were on the beach, those who unfortunately saw the captain’s head carried away by the waves,” indicates Me Edouard Martial.
According to him, if a judicial investigation is opened, alongside her parents, Inès Narjissi, Medhi’s older sister, will become a civil party. A step that Stade Toulousain should also take.
