Florian Grill, head of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), at a press conference on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 in Paris. TOM NOUVIAN / AP
Florian Grill was re-elected president of the French rugby federation (FFR) on Saturday, October 19, surviving a nightmarish summer of off-field dramas. Grill, who has been in the post since June 2023, won 67.22% of the votes from the 1,900 voting French rugby clubs and will remain president until autumn 2028, beyond the 2027 World Cup.
French rugby has been rocked by a series of scandals over the recent months, that led to the FFR pointing the finger at the “poorly managed” supervision of the team. France players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou were arrested in July and accused of aggravated rape after a 39-year-old woman alleged they brutally assaulted her in a hotel room hours after winning their first caps against Argentina in Mendoza. Lawyers for the two players have asked for the case to be discontinued, with a hearing scheduled for October 25.
In a separate matter, international full-back Melvyn Jaminet received a 34-week ban for making racist comments on social media after that same game.
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And France under-18 player Medhi Narjissi was reported missing in August after going swimming in the sea in South Africa, where France was preparing for a youth tournament.
Looking ahead, Grill has a raft of pressing issues to tackle, notably the declining number of registered players, finances in the red and a review of France’s coaching staff.
France was eliminated by eventual winners South Africa in the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup on French soil.
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