Two France rugby players arrested for alleged sexual assault in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Two France rugby players have been arrested in Argentina on sexual assault allegations.

Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou were arrested in Buenos Aires on a request from prosecutors in Mendoza, in the western part of the country, after a formal complaint was filed against them, Martín Ahumada, spokesman for the provincial Public Prosecutor’s Office, said Tuesday.

The French team was in Mendoza over the weekend to play a test match against Argentina. Jegou and Auradou were arrested on Monday in Buenos Aires, where the French delegation had made a stopover before traveling to Uruguay. The two players have not yet been formally charged with any crime and were to be transferred to Mendoza to continue with the investigation, Ahumada said.

He declined to provide details about the alleged sexual assault, which according to the complaint took place at a hotel in the provincial capital of Mendoza.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on X that if confirmed the assault constituted an “unspeakable atrocity” and that she was in contact with the French Rugby Federation and the French embassy in Argentina.

The French team was scheduled to travel to Montevideo for a test match against Uruguay on Wednesday, before returning to Buenos Aires for a second match against Argentina on Saturday.

The French federation didn’t immediately comment on the allegations.

The arrests come after France fullback Melvyn Jaminet was suspended Sunday by the federation after a video shared on social media showed the player making a racist remark.