England's racism claim in Argentina clash upheld by World Rugby
rugby union
World Rugby have upheld England's claim that their players were subjected to racist abuse from fans during a recent tour match in Argentina.
England made an official complaint about the taunts on July 15, three days after winning 22-17 at Estadio Bicentenario in San Juan.
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Tears of joy as Venezuelan migrants return from El Salvador prison 'hell'
Maikel Olivera (C) -- a Venezuelan migrant who was freed from a notorious Salvadoran prison -- embraces his mother Olivia Rojas as he reunites with family in Barquisimeto, Venezuela By Ramon Veliz, with Margioni Bermudez in Maracaibo Tears of joy and relief flowed freely Tuesday as Venezuelan Maikel Olivera returned home to his mother's embrace after surviving four months of "real hell" in a Salvadoran prison. The 37-year-old is one of 252 Venezuelan migrants flown home last Friday from a notorious "anti-terrorism" prison where they were sent by the United States in a fear-inducing crackdown on undocumented migrants. Family and friends waited impatiently for Olivera to finally be released by Venezuelan officials after days of medical tests and questioning, breaking out in tearful cheers and waving Venezuelan flags as they saw a police car approaching his family home Tuesday. "You've come back to life, my love!" Olivera's mother Olivia Rojas exclaimed, hugging her son and lovingly stroking his face before taking a step back to look him up and down for any signs of distress. Cars honked in celebration and one person in the crowd wore a T-shirt with the slogan: "Migrating is not a crime." When the clamor died down, Olivera described the CECOT prison he and his compatriots were held at as "real hell." "There were beatings 24 hours a day," he told AFP of the experience. "They told us: 'you will rot here, you will be imprisoned for 300 years.' I thought I would never return to Venezuela again." The CECOT was built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to house dangerous criminals in a successful but much-criticized war on gangs. Bukele accepted payment of millions of dollars from the US President Donald Trump's administration to add migrants deported from the US to his prison population in a move widely denounced by human rights groups. After four months incommunicado, Olivera and the others were finally freed in a prisoner exchange deal with Washington. And not a minute too soon. Caracas -- itself under investigation for alleged rights violations in its own prisons -- says the men were beaten, shot with rubber bullets, sexually abused and given rotten food to eat during their incarceration. 'They raped him' The men had been sent to El Salvador despite US officials not providing any evidence for claims that they were gang members, and without any due process on American soil. The last they were heard of was when Bukele shared images of the men arriving at CECOT in chains, their heads shorn. Olivera said he and the others were not allowed to receive visits from lawyers or family members. "I had a friend who was gay, they raped him," he said. "They beat us just for taking a shower." Olivera was delivered Tuesday by authorities to the city of Barquisimeto, a more than four-hour drive west from the capital Caracas where the men arrived in two planes last week, and on the way to Maracaibo, where more families waited. Mercedes Yamarte, 46, worked for days to prepare a special meal and decorate her humble home in a poor Maracaibo neighborhood with balloons in the colors of the Venezuelan flag, bursting with impatience for the return of her son Mervin, 29. The banner outside read "Welcome to your homeland, you were missed," and inside a poster bearing Mervin's photo reads "Welcome home." As the hours passed Tuesday, several false alarms saw the community jump up in excited anticipation, just to sit down again on the plastic chairs they had arranged in a shady spot on a hot day. But Mercedes remained calm. She had spoken to her son, she said, and knew he was on his way. When word of the men's release from CECOT spread last week, people from the neighborhood had gathered around a TV in Mercedes's living room to try and spot their loved ones among the passengers getting off the planes. Among them was Yarelis Herrera, 45, who told AFP her son Edwuar Hernandez appeared "very changed. He looks more like a man now." He is 23. "They have no record of criminal activity, nothing. Humble people seeking a better future who ended up in this nightmare," Mervin Yamarte's younger brother Jonferson told AFP. He had escaped a similar fate by returning home from the United States on a humanitarian flight organized by Caracas. Olivera, Yamarte, and many others risked the dangerous journey to the United States to find work and send money home to economic and political crisis-riddled Venezuela. The South American country has lost about a quarter of its population -- some eight million people -- to emigration under President Nicolas Maduro, whose claims to victory in two successive elections are widely considered illegitimate. © 2025 AFP
The Diplomat
13 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Finding Truth Where Justice Is Rare
Ian Timberlake with two Indonesian paramilitary police members assigned to the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur at the Abu Shouk displaced persons' camp in Darfur, Sudan, 2013. Ian Timberlake cut his teeth as a foreign correspondent in Timor-Leste where he initially worked as a stringer for Agence France-Presse (AFP). In the late 1990s, he witnessed the end of the Suharto regime in Indonesia and the atrocities that were inflicted in the former Portuguese colony amid the fight for independence. Over the next three decades he spanned the globe, working with AFP from bases in Jakarta, Singapore, Hanoi, and Hong Kong and then further out in Khartoum, Riyadh, Washington, and finally Nicosia, from where he has just retired. He is now back in Bangkok and takes an interest in white collar crime and money laundering. He does his best to keep up with the latest technological advances deployed by criminal syndicates and international law enforcement agencies alike. Timberlake, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, spoke with The Diplomat's Luke Hunt about a career that began in 1986 on Ontario newspapers where he specialized in his great passion, crime reporting, and shared an award for investigative reporting. That career included stints working on the decks of an aircraft carrier during the invasion of Iraq and a fact-checking desk while taking on assignments in conflicts zones like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Throughout it all, he says, justice is rare but journalists must speak truth to power and continue to hold world leaders accountable for their actions, despite the relentless assaults and issues confronting the press.
Japan Times
20 hours ago
- Japan Times
England players suffered racist abuse from fans in Argentina, World Rugby says
England lodged an official complaint with World Rugby after their players suffered racist abuse from spectators during their win over Argentina in San Juan on July 12, but the perpetrators could not be identified, the global governing body said on Monday. The RFU made the complaint on July 15, World Rugby said in a statement, adding that an immediate investigation was launched involving witness statements and video analysis. "While it is clear that an incident took place, we regret that the individuals responsible could not be identified," World Rugby said. "There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and any complaint of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby." World Rugby chair Brett Robinson condemned the incident. "We offer our full support to the players involved and want them to know that rugby stands with them in opposing racism. I applaud their courage in raising what must have been a highly distressing experience," he said. Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) President Gabriel Travaglini also condemned the incident, saying a "group of five or seven individuals" was responsible for the abuse. Over 20,000 spectators were at the Estadio Bicentenario as England sealed a 2-0 win in the two-match test series. "Unfortunately, despite an exhaustive search, it was not possible to identify the perpetrators," Travaglini said. "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 Rugby CEO Bill Sweeney also condemned the abuse. "Every player, regardless of their background, has the right to represent their country with pride and dignity, free from discrimination and abuse. We are in close contact with the players affected and have offered them our full support," he said in a statement. "We're pleased that World Rugby was able to act swiftly to investigate and thank UAR for their full cooperation and support throughout. We trust that they will take the necessary steps to prevent any recurrence of such unacceptable behaviour." In 2020, the UAR stripped Pablo Matera of the captaincy and stood him and two other players down from Argentina's final Tri Nations clash against Australia after the flanker allegedly published discriminatory and xenophobic posts on social media several years earlier.
