Eleven months after the tragic death of Medhi Narjissi, a 17-year-old French-Moroccan rugby player who was swept away by waves at Dias Beach in South Africa during a training camp with the French U18 team, his family is calling for a broader investigation, reports La Dépêche.
Two staff members, the team’s physical trainer and manager, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. However, Medhi’s family is urging the justice system to go further.
According to his parents, Medhi was brought to a location known for its dangerous conditions. «There were twelve adults, nine on the beach, who allowed this reckless venture into the water. For us, there’s no hierarchy of responsibility», said his father, Jalil Narjissi, a former Moroccan international rugby player, speaking to France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The family denounces a lack of supervision, the absence of immediate rescue, and serious lapses in risk management.
The family’s lawyer, Édouard Martial, is relying on a damning report by the Ministry of Sports to push for further investigation, including into the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Florian Grill, and the travel agency responsible for organizing the trip. The agency, operated by a French national based in South Africa, is accused of failing to meet safety requirements despite being fully aware of the site’s risks.
So far, the FFR has not provided the contract linking the federation to the organizer, something the family’s legal team is strongly criticizing. A new request will be submitted at the start of the next judicial term, with a new investigating judge expected to take over the case. A parallel investigation is also ongoing in South Africa, where the family plans to file a complaint.
On May 24, a sports complex in Sainte-Colombe-en-Bruilhois, in the Lot-et-Garonne, was inaugurated in Medhi’s honor. «It was our way of telling you that you will not be forgotten», said Jalil Narjissi during the ceremony, La Dépêche reports.