2023-08-27 18:59:45
“Dying is part of the game.” This is the cry from the heart and the title of Philippe Chauvin’s book, published in April, which evokes the death of his son, Nicolas, who died on a rugby pitch in 2018. During the promotion of his work, the father of this former player of the Stade Français criticizes the lack of eagerness of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) to highlight a fundamental principle of World Rugby: rule 9, paragraph 11, which underlines that “players must not do anything that is dangerous or imprudent for others”.
Less than five months later, Philippe Chauvin stands in the auditorium of the Stade de France, next to the president of the FFR elected in June, Florian Grill, and the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. A little more than an hour before the kick-off of the last preparation match of the XV of France against Australia, he comes to participate in the launch of the “Play well” campaign. “We are not in the com, we are in the action”, launches the father of the former third line who disappeared at only 18 years old.
The rule must be “engraved in the minds of all practitioners”
Change ? All FFR licensees will have this rule written on their license and must tick, when registering with a club, a box stating that they have read it correctly. This rule 9 paragraph 11 will also appear on the match sheets, as well as on the referees’ jerseys. A reform which, in its entirety, will take a year to apply. “It must be engraved in the minds of all practitioners,” insists Florian Grill, who set the federation in motion to work alongside Philippe Chauvin after his election.
“Fighting against dangerous gambling must become obvious, as are the fight against doping and the prevention of any form of incivility in sport”, continues the Minister of Sports, challenged by Philippe Chauvin when the book was released.
Philippe Chauvin filed a complaint against X in 2019 for manslaughter in order to determine the responsibilities of each other. The judicial investigation is still ongoing. “It is progressing, he slipped Sunday at the podium. I maintain this complaint, because it is necessary to make it known that one must face one’s responsibilities, that there are repercussions in the real world, when one does not respect this rule. »
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