The day after our article about an affair affecting the club, USA co-president Lavardac-Barbaste rejects any racist attack.
“It is a sad and disturbing matter.” Yesterday we disclosed a case affecting the American club Lavardac-Barbaste. During training, an altercation allegedly took place between four players on the team. Sami Jabel, claiming to be attacked by the other three, suffers from a periorbital hematoma, a deformed nasal appendage, cervical injuries, back and rib pain and even multiple tooth fractures.
He was prescribed a total interruption of work (ITT) lasting eight days. Faced with this great damage, the person in question filed a complaint with the Agent Prosecutor in the middle of the week for “aggression and aggression in the face of aggravating circumstances” against three teammates (they are members of the same family), but also “for an act of racism in an encounter with extenuating circumstances'.
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“A clash that went a little too far”
Following this affair, the club held an emergency meeting on Friday evening, September 13, as USA Lavardac-Barbaste co-president Christian Sciers confirmed: “We wanted to confront the people concerned to hear all the versions and reach a climate of tranquility But Sami could not be reached, although he told me he would be present. The club manager also regrets the “image given”. “We look like an unhealthy club. This is not the philosophy of the group, especially since the North African community is represented there.”
Aware that he had “disappointed” people, including the “mayor” but also the “youngsters at the rugby school”, Christian Sciers wanted to “send a message” by giving his version of events. “It was a scuffle that went a little too far during some serious opposition. Two experienced players made too much of a clearance on Sami, who got angry at one of them. He clashed verbally, it's provocative… From a rush at another, the first player comes to the aid of his father, the third arrives and takes them all down.
“He tarnished our image”
After this clash, the leaders gave themselves “24 hours” of reflection. “The next day, we felt like filing a complaint, although we thought we could solve it the old-fashioned way, but we couldn't,” explains Christian Sciers. Yesterday, after reading our article, the co-chair learned of the allegations of racism. A witness to the scene, he categorically rejects the racist character of the events. “This is too much. I say stop it. It is completely false. The allegations are anything but racist. There is no conspiracy or racist in our club. I cannot let that be said.”
For him, there is only a “stupid story” with “bleeding and spontaneous reaction”. “It was stupid to fight, but there were no racist terms until then, the door was wide open for Sami, because initially I felt he was a victim, and red card for Sami for the punch he gave when he got up. But I had sympathy for him, I think he is deplorable.