The day after the emotional tribute held at the Ernest-Wallon stadium during Stade Toulousain-La Rochelle, the father of the teenager missing at sea found the courage to speak out and called for “those responsible to be tried and punished”.
There were nearly 19,000 of them who cheered wildly, to pay tribute to Medhi and express their sadness and compassion. On the evening of Sunday 15 September, at the Stade Ernest-Wallon in Toulouse, the spectators who came to witness the Top 14 match (day 2) between Stade Toulouse and La Rochelle honored the memory of Medhi Narjissi, a young player from the training center (17 years old), tragically disappeared at sea in South Africa.
The tragedy occurred on August 7, during a tour of the French XV under 18, near the Cape of Good Hope. The day after the tribute organized by Stade Toulouse, Medhi's father Jalil spoke to our colleagues at France Télévisions.
“Our life ended on August 7, we are surviving this disaster today,” he confesses. “This moment (tribute, editor's note) did us good. Knowing that Medhi brought sunshine to these people… He was appreciated by everyone as a 17 year old boy who loves his sport, to live, who does not deserve anyone, not even a child, it is still hard for us to accept this and we will never accept it.”
?️ #TLS | Touching tribute to the Narjissi family?
? 19,000 people were present at Ernest-Wallon this Sunday evening. Mehdi's father spoke this afternoon about his son's disappearance.
▶️ The broadcast in replay: https://t.co/IBFtHcn071 pic.twitter.com/PfXHBpFghi
— francetvsport (@francetvsport) September 16, 2024
Former SU icon Agen continued, giving his feelings on arriving in South Africa shortly after Medhi's disappearance: “I was there in South Africa. There are signs everywhere on the way to the beach. The conditions were more extreme. It was raining, it was winter in South Africa. They are not blind, laments Jalil Narjissi. We are preparing for the truth to be revealed.
On September 12, the French Rugby Federation released the findings of an internal investigation pointing to negligence by the U18 staff. Valérie and Jalil Narjissi filed a complaint with Agen, a judicial investigation was opened by the prosecutor's office.