Hundreds of people, including big names in French and Argentine rugby, attend this Saturday in Biarritz the funeral of former player Federico Martin Aramburu, shot dead on March 19 in Paris, at the age of 42. The majority could not enter the Sainte-Eugénie church, on the seafront, and follow on a giant screen the ceremony in memory of the former Argentinian international (22 selections), twice crowned champion of France with the Olympic Biarritz (2005, 2006).
The remains of the one they all nicknamed “Fédé” entered the church to the sound of traditional Basque farewell singing (“Agur Jauna”, “Farewell to the Great Man”) and in the presence of his wife Maria, clinging to the arms of his two daughters, Trinidad and Justina. His coffin was carried by former Biarritz Olympique teammates, French internationals Thomas Lièvremont and Nicolas Brusque, Argentine Manuel Carizza and Shaun Hegarty, Aramburu’s friend and associate, with whom he was seated in the Parisian restaurant. where the drama unfolded.
“A man concerned with peace and revolted by injustice”
Other big names in French and Argentine rugby -Dimitri Yachvili, Jérôme Thion, Imanol Harinordoquy, Gonzalo Quesada-, as well as the presidents of the French Federation Bernard Laporte and the Ligue René Bouscatel were in the bays of the church, such as Serge Blanco, former head of the BO The ceremony was celebrated in French and Spanish by Don Arnaud, a Biarritz priest friend of the Aramburu family, who described the deceased as “a man concerned with peace and revolted by injustice” .
In the crowd silently following the mass under a beautiful sun and a big blue sky, some supporters wear the red and white colors of the biarrot rugby club and others the blue and white of the local amateur football club, la Jeanne d ‘Arc Biarritz, where Aramburu played. On the balcony of the town hall, not far away, were hung an Argentine flag and the portrait of the ex-rugby player.
Tribute during the weekend’s Top 14 matches
A minute of applause must also be dedicated to him on all the matches of the Top 14 of the weekend, announced the League, while the Biarritz Olympique players will wear a T-shirt bearing the portrait of Aramburu during their warm-up and entry on the lawn of Montpellier, where they move Saturday during the 21st day. At the end of the afternoon, a moment of private meditation must take place in a lounge at the Biarritz Olympique stadium, which can accommodate up to 600 people. The BO plans another mark of homage on April 2 for the reception of Pau.
Federico Martin Aramburu was shot dead on March 19 in the early morning after an altercation in a bar-restaurant in the center of Paris, where he was to attend the France-England rugby match the same evening. He died on the spot as a result of his injuries. Two militants from an ultra-right group are suspected of having shot him. One was indicted for “murder” and imprisoned and the other, the main suspect, must soon be handed over to the French authorities after being arrested this week in Hungary. A young woman, suspected of “complicity in murder”, was also imprisoned.
Since his retirement from sport, Aramburu, who had also worn the colors of Perpignan and Dax, had remained living with his family in the Basque Country and had founded a tourism business.