- The 25-year-old shared the post after France’s 28-13 win over Argentina on July 6.
- 8-week ban, can be replaced with measures such as school visits
- The full-back has won six national championships in 20 appearances for the national team.
French rugby star Melvin Jamine has been banned from playing for six months after a video of the Toulon full-back making racist remarks went viral on social media.
The 25-year-old shared a video on his Instagram account after taking a penalty kick in France’s 28-13 win over Argentina on July 6. He was suspended by France two days later.
“I promise to headbutt the first Arab I see on the street,” Jaminé said in a video released earlier this month by the French team touring the South American country.
The fullback apologized for the comment and deleted the post from his account, but the post has since been widely shared online.
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) said on Friday it would ban Jamine for 34 weeks after its disciplinary committee concluded he had ‘undermined the best interests of rugby’.
France rugby star Melvin Jaminet will be banned from the game for six months after a video emerged showing the Toulon full-back making racist remarks.
The 25-year-old shared the video on his Instagram account after scoring a penalty in France’s 28-13 win over Argentina on Saturday.
The ban could be shortened to eight weeks if certain conditions are met, including going to schools to promote the values of sport in fighting discrimination and raising awareness about social media and alcohol.
The rugby star was also fined €30,000 (£25,000) for his comments.
Jamin previously apologised for the video, saying: “I understand that this video may have offended and offended many people and I want to make it clear that these comments do not reflect my values or those of the France rugby team.”
‘Racism in any form is unacceptable and goes against everything I believe.’
Earlier this month, the French Rugby Federation released a statement condemning his comments and saying he had been ruled out of the tour to Argentina.
“Such comments are completely unacceptable and go against the fundamental values of our sport,” the FFR statement read.
‘As a result, Melvin Jaminet was left out of the French national team and is currently in Argentina.
‘We take these comments very seriously and are conducting an internal investigation to determine the cause and take appropriate action.
‘Rugby is a sport that brings people together and unites them, and we must promote these essential values. Any kind of discriminatory behaviour has no place in French rugby.’
Jaminet has won 20 caps for the national team, including a win in the Six Nations.
Jaminet later apologized for the remarks, claiming the comments did not reflect his values in the Instagram post.
Toulon have previously backed Jamine following a disciplinary meeting with the club’s management and said they believed there was a chance their star could be ‘saved’.
Jaminé has made 20 appearances for Les Bleus since making his senior international debut in 2021.
The Toulon star was part of the team that won France’s first Six Nations Championship title in 10 years in 2022.
