France fullback Melvyn Jaminet handed 34-week ban for racist video
FILE - France’s Melvyn Jaminet runs in to score a try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match against Namibia at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France, Sept. 21, 2023. France fullback Jaminet was suspended from the national rugby team Sunday, July 7, 2024, after a video surfaced of the player appearing to make racist remarks. He later apologized. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)
PARIS (AP) — France fullback Melvyn Jaminet was suspended for 34 weeks by the French Rugby Federation on Friday for posting a racist video on his social media.
The FFR also fined him 30,000 euros ($32,500).
On July 7, the day after Jaminet helped touring France beat Argentina in Mendoza, he posted video of himself saying he wanted to injure any Arabs he met on the streets. He was immediately suspended by the national team and sent home.
A FFR disciplinary hearing on Friday said Jaminet “harmed the higher interests of rugby.”
A 34-week suspension sidelines Jaminet to late March, forcing him to miss more than half the club season, the November internationals and 2025 Six Nations. But it would be reduced by eight weeks if he undertakes community service for the FFR such as talking to youth players about the dangers of alcohol and social media, and promoting the fight against discrimination.
Jaminet also had a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday with his Toulon club management. They are yet to announce a “fair and appropriate sanction.”
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