Melvyn Jaminet has landed himself a boatload of hot water over the weekend after a controversial video was posted to his social media ‘story’.
The clip was screen-recorded by others and shared online due to the nature of the content which many viewed to be of a violent and racist nature.
Jaminet was recorded to have said “Le premier Arabe que je croise sur la route, je lui mets un coup de casque” which, in English, roughly translates to “The first Arab I meet on the road, I will give him a headbutt”.
This has outraged many online, with some fans even suggesting a lifetime ban should be in line for the player. Others have argued that although the post was in bad taste, his personal opinions should not interfere with his professional life.
On tour with France at the time of the incident, Jaminet has been sent home by the French Rugby Federation pending further investigations. Whilst there has been no official news as to the reasoning behind his outburst, many have suggested that copious amounts of alcohol may have been consumed following France’s victory over Argentina on Saturday.
🚨🇫🇷 ALERTE INFO | “Le premier Arabe que je croise sur la route, je lui mets un coup de casque”, a posté dans sa story Instagram l’arrière du XV de France et du RC Toulon, Melvyn Jaminet. pic.twitter.com/0hQ66kzjSh
— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) July 7, 2024
A statement released by the FFR reads:
“Such comments are totally unacceptable and are contrary to the fundamental values of our sport.
“As a consequence, Melvyn Jaminet has been removed from and has left the France squad currently in Argentina.
“An internal investigation is ongoing to shine a light on these comments, which are of an extreme seriousness and will take the appropriate measures.”
Jaminet has responded to the incident, adding that he is “deeply sorry” and “ashamed” of his comments and that “Racism, in all its forms, is unacceptable and goes against everything I believe in.”
He further concluded: “I understand the FFR’s punishment and remain at their disposition to be able to shine a light on this incident.”
This is not by any means the first time a rugby player’s personal life has affected a career in a negative way, but it is certainly one of the more divisive cases.
A similar case includes Israel Folau who was unceremoniously dropped from Rugby Australia for sharing a post online that suggested homosexuals belonged in hell.
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