Two French rugby players were detained in Argentina for sexual assault.
Police in Argentina arrested two France players on Monday afternoon (local time) on suspicion of sexual assault. The information was first reported by Argentine media site MDZ and quickly corroborated by L’Equipe.
Florian Grill, head of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), arrived at the scene throughout the night and verified on Tuesday, July 9, that the two accused were second-row Hugo Auradou (21) and backrow Oscar Jegou (20).
According to initial accounts in the Argentine press, the alleged incident occurred early Sunday morning at the hotel where the French national team was staying, the day after France’s triumph over Argentina. Auradou and Jegou were believed to have met a girl at a bowling alley before heading to a hotel where the attack allegedly occurred.
“The complaint was filed on Sunday afternoon,” MDZ said. “Immediately, and because of the strength of her statement, the emergency protocol was activated.”
With the French players scheduled to leave Argentina for a match against Uruguay on Wednesday, authorities hastily devised a plan to arrest the two teenage players before they left.
“The physical examinations carried out on the victim by the forensic team have provided solid evidence,” claimed the MDZ press release.
“If the facts are proved, they are extremely serious. “Our thoughts are with the young woman,” Grill stated during an unplanned press conference on Tuesday, a public holiday in Argentina.
This instance follows another incident from Les Bleus’ tour of Argentina, in which full-back Malvyn Jaminet made racist remarks on his official Instagram account on Saturday night, immediately after the French team’s triumph.
The player was promptly suspended from the team and later apologised.
“It’s a disaster for everything rugby stands for and should represent. But I’d like to reiterate that there is an inquiry into the two players, and that is not what rugby is about. “It’s really not what rugby is about,” Grill stated.