England's racism claim in Argentina clash upheld by World Rugby
World Rugby said it had worked with the Argentinian rugby federation to develop an action plan to enhance their operations, educate fans and help prevent further incidents.
Despite conducting an "immediate and thorough investigation" involving witness statements and video analysis, world rugby's governing body was unable to identify the individuals responsible.
"There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and any complaint of discrimination is taken extremely seriously," a World Rugby statement said.
"While it is clear that an incident took place, we regret that the individuals responsible could not be identified."
Gabriel Travaglini, president of the Union Argentina de Rugby, condemned the abuse.
"Upon learning of the incidents, intense efforts were made to identify the small group of five or seven individuals responsible within a crowd of over 20,000 spectators," he said.
"Unfortunately, despite an exhaustive search, it was not possible to identify the perpetrators.
"We will continue to work collaboratively with World Rugby to educate the fans and eradicate any similar manifestations in the future, ensuring that our events are spaces of respect and inclusion for everyone."
England completed a 2-0 series win over Argentina with the victory before ending their tour with a win against the United States in Washington on Saturday.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
18 hours ago
- France 24
Wallabies hire New Zealand's Donnelly to help Schmidt
The 43-year-old replaces England's Geoff Parling who is leaving his Wallabies job after the British and Irish Lions tour to become Leicester Tigers' coach. "Watching from afar, the journey the team is on and the improvement they are making is exciting," said Donnelly, who worked with Super Rugby side Western Force last season. "I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and doing my part to continue the ongoing growth of the team." Donnelly played 15 Tests for New Zealand and nearly 100 Super Rugby games, along with three seasons in the France's Top 14, before transitioning to coaching. The Wallabies get their Rugby Championship underway against South Africa in Johannesburg on August 16.
France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Wallabies will not 'wallow in self-pity' after crushing Lions loss
Schmidt's men led for 79 minutes in Melbourne on Saturday and thought they had done enough to bank a sensational win and level the three-Test series. But Hugo Keenan's try at the death for a 29-26 victory left them shattered and fuming. Schmidt was adamant the try should not have stood, pointing to a high clean-out in the lead up by Jac Morgan on Carlo Tizzano. But their protests were waved away by Italian referee Andrea Piardi. Schmidt said contact was made above the shoulders, which made it illegal. "Our perspective is, we felt it was a decision that doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they're talking about," he said. "So that's what we've seen, and we've watched a number of replays from different angles, and so it is what it is. We just have to accept it." In contrast, Lions coach Andy Farrell saw nothing wrong with the incident. "I thought it was a brilliant cleanout," he insisted. Despite Schmidt's obvious frustration at seeing victory snatched from their grasp, he knows he must now lift the team for the third and final Test in Sydney next weekend. It is a dead-rubber, but pride is at stake for his young side who were a level up in Melbourne from their passive performance at the first Test in Brisbane. "I've told the team how proud I am of them. This group is growing. To stand up and deliver what they did against some of the world's best players, I was just immensely proud," said Schmidt. "They were broken at the end, but one of the things you've got to do is keep resolve and keep going forward. "We can't, and we won't, wallow in self-pity because we didn't get the result. "It's a blow in the short-term, but you can't get more motivated than what the players demonstrated here," he added. "I always felt we had the game to challenge them, and we showed that. I think their experience allowed them to stay in the contest and execute their plan." Schmidt was installed to restore Australia's reputation after they slumped to 10th in the world following a horror 2023 World Cup under Eddie Jones. His results have been a mixed bag so far, and he said it remained a work in progress. "We're trying to build consistency and a brand of rugby we enjoy playing," he said. "We're learning." © 2025 AFP
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
French authorities question airline over removal of Jewish passengers
French authorities are trying to establish whether a group of young French citizens were removed from a plane bound for Paris from Spain this week because they are Jewish. The airline, Vueling, has denied the claims. Several dozen French passengers on Wednesday were kicked off a flight leaving the Spanish city of Valencia for Paris, for what Spanish police and the airline described as unruly behavior. France 's ministry for Europe and foreign affairs said in a statement on Saturday that the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, contacted the CEO of Vueling, Carolina Martinoli, to express his deep concern 'about the removal of a group of young French Jews from one of the company's flights.' Barrot also requested more information to 'determine whether these individuals had been discriminated against on the basis of their religion.' A similar request has been made to the Spanish ambassador to France. 'Ms. Martinoli assured Mr. Barrot that a thorough internal investigation was underway and that its findings would be shared with the French and Spanish authorities,' the ministry said. Vueling previously denied reports that the incident, which involved the removal of 44 minors and eight adults from flight V8166, was related to the passengers' religion. Some Israeli news outlets reported that the students were Jewish and that their removal was religiously motivated, a claim that was repeated by an Israeli minister online. Spain's Civil Guard said the minors and adults were French nationals. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the agents involved were not aware of the group's religious affiliation. A Vueling spokesperson said the passengers were removed after the minors repeatedly tampered with the plane's emergency equipment and interrupted the crew's safety demonstration. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the captain of the plane ordered the removal of the minors from the plane at Valencia's Manises Airport after they repeatedly ignored the crew's instructions. On Thursday, the Federation for Jewish Communities of Spain expressed concern about the incident. The group said that Vueling needed to provide documentary evidence of what happened on the plane.
