Parents comment on the tragic loss of their son Medhi Narjissi

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Jalil Narjissi, a former Agen hooker, and his wife Valerie recently spoke about the tragic disappearance of their son Medhi, who was on tour with the French Under-18 team in South Africa. Medhi, a 17-year-old link from Toulouse, was swept away by a wave and current off the Cape of Good Hope during the annual six-team International Series in the Southern Hemisphere.

The French team had planned a water recovery session at Dias beach, but it turned into a disaster when Medhi got into trouble. As a result, the FFR temporarily suspended all U18 personnel pending the ongoing investigation into the tragedy.

The Narjissi family, who returned from South Africa, expressed for the first time on Tuesday their great anger at the loss of their son. Jalil Narjissi mentioned that although it was not unusual for French teams to visit the Cape of Good Hope, recreational swimming had never taken place at Dias Beach.

Speaking to the media, Narjissi spoke about the incident. “After a long week of our own investigation, I know that the French teams go to the Cape of Good Hope every year for a day to visit the port there. But they have never done this recovery swim in this place,” he said.

“You are on one of the most dangerous beaches in South Africa. We met a few surfers who told us themselves that the place is very dangerous, with huge waves and currents that sweep you away. The sand leaves holes under your feet. You don't have to be a professional trainer to understand that it is dangerous. Every person, every parent… It is unimaginable.”

Narjissi detailed the actions of the French personnel on the beach during the emergency and expressed his dissatisfaction with their response, praising the efforts of the one teammate who tried to rescue Medhi.

“Oscar is a hero to me. He had the courage to go. Even though he couldn't do anything, he's my hero. And no adult moved? Another child almost died… It took Oscar more than 20 minutes to get back to shore, even though he was two meters tall and a good swimmer. And no adult did anything. They left her in the water.”

“It was not an accident, it was caused. A bus accident, a plane crash or if Medhi gets injured and becomes paraplegic, we all feel sorry, we are devastated. But not this, not something like this. They played with the lives of our children. It was ours that disappeared. Medhi was our son, but they played with the lives of other children too,” he concluded.