Coaches punished over U18 player's loss at sea
NEWS: Two former French Under-18 coaching staff members have been punished over their roles in the events surrounding the disappearance at sea of one of the players Medhi Narjissi last year, a source close to the case said on Saturday.
Fitness coach Robin Ladauge has been stripped of his civil service status while former manager Stephane Cambos was suspended after disciplinary proceedings.
Narjissi, a 17-year-old Toulouse player, was swept out to sea on August 7, 2024 during a recovery session, at a French Under-18 team training camp in South Africa, on a beach near Cape Town known to be dangerous.
His body has not been recovered.
According to a copy of the decree seen by AFP, the Ministry of Sports ordered the loss of fitness coach Ladauge’s civil servant status.
Former manager Cambos was suspended for two years, one of which was suspended, according to a source close to the case.
These sanctions are considered “the minimum” in the eyes of Jalil Narjissi, Medhi’s father, who calls it a “crime” to have allowed teenagers to swim on this beach.
“It won’t bring back our son Medhi, but it’s logical that these people, including Mr. Ladauge, of course, be dismissed. It’s the least that can be done to have removed them from the civil service,” he told AFP, deeming it “shameful” Cambos, for his part, retains his civil service status.
“This gentleman must be removed from the civil service. He has the same responsibilities; he was behind this decision to take to the water.”
In the criminal investigation opened after the tragedy, an investigating judge in the southern French city of Agen charged Ladauge and Cambos with manslaughter earlier this year.
Ladauge’s lawyer, Celine Lasek, told AFP her client would appeal his dismissal, which she said was based “on a completely erroneous account” of the recovery session.
Ladauge is “devastated” for Medhi’s family, she said. “He really wants to stress that his thoughts are always with them.”
