Medhi Narjissi: Recovery session was ‘poorly-controlled’

The disappearance of France Under-18 international Medhi Narjissi was partly caused by a poorly organised recovery session, an investigation by the country’s rugby federation has concluded.

Narjissi, 17, was swept away while taking part in a session organised by the team’s management in the sea off Cape Town in South Africa in August.

The FFR said that warning signs on the beach were ignored or missed and that the supervision of the session was “poorly controlled”.

“The decision to organise a recovery session in the water on Dias Beach was taken without considering the dangerousness of the site, in particular rip currents, waves and rocks,” the FFR said.

It says it is exploring the possibility of taking action against the officials in charge of the France Under-18 team at the time.

The FFR interviewed all the staff present at the session and some of the players involved.

Narjissi, who had recently signed for Top 14 champions Toulouse and is the son of former Morocco men’s captain Jalil Narjissi, was taking part in a five-team tournament also involving South Africa, England, Ireland and Georgia.

Jalil Narjissi has criticised the staff who organised the session.

“It’s not an accident, it was caused,” he said.

“A bus accident, a plane crash, or if Medhi gets hurt and becomes paraplegic, we are all sorry, dejected. But not this, not something like that.

“They played with the lives of our children.”

The FFR says it has made all the information it has gathered available to Narjissi’s parents and sent its report to the French Ministry of Sport.