On March 19, exactly one month ago, Argentina had breakfast with some sad news: the crime of the former rugbier Federico Martín Aramburú, a member of the squad that won third place at the 2007 World Cup, outside the Bar “Le Mabillon” in Paris.

He was with Shaun Hegarty, a teammate during his time at Biarritz Olympique and his partner in the travel company “Esprit Basque”, when, after an altercation, he was shot five times by Loik Le Priol, a former soldier who he himself was arrested after 72 hours in Hungary.

Aramburú started at Club Atlético de San Isidro (CASI), where he made his debut at the age of 19, but his best years were spent in France. He spent seven seasons there: Biarritz Olympique (2004-06), Perpignan (2006-08) and US Dax (2008-10), before joining the Glasgow Warriors, of the Scottish Premier League, until 2012.

He left an important mark in the world of rugby for his hierarchy as a player, but also for being a faithful representative of the values ​​this sport upholds and for his great human quality, as featured by the moving letter published in the French newspaper L’Equipe.

The complete letter as a tribute to Federico Martín Aramburú:

Killed for opposing extremist and fascist ideas. No, Federico’s death is not news, a matter of common law that some want to imply. It is the expression “of a state of violence that exists, which we cannot ignore, which we cannot incorporate into daily life” (Emmanuel Mounier, French philosopher).

Fede has in him the values ​​of rugby, of humanism. We, players, former players, coaches, coaches, club executives have such values ​​in us, instilled from an early age in our clubs and towns. Since 2009, World Rugby bodies have incorporated these values ​​into their global charter, “a roadmap aimed at maintaining the unique character of rugby on and off the field of play”.

Frederick and Shaun (Hegarty) They are not on the playing field and, as always, They were not allowed to speak words contrary to their thinking, to their education, to their philosophy of life. They did not shake their heads pretending to see nothing, but they choose to react, to what is obvious to them.

In the official text of this letter, the first value mentioned is integrity, which covers fair play and honesty. We accept the policies and must demonstrate intellectual property.

The second value is passion, which inspires us all, from the moment we put our crampons on the first lump of grass at the age of 5 or 6 years until the end of the third phase when, as adults , we often sing out of tune, but together, in brotherhood. Then comes unity, synonymous with togetherness, loyalty, team spirit that binds us forever, regardless of social, cultural, geographical, political, color or religious differences.

It’s also about discipline, we try to stay here in every moment, every minute of our lives, in practice and off the field, even if it’s not easy.

Finally, respect, a core value of our sport and therefore in our lives, respect for our families, respect for relationships with others, respect for the education of our children, respect for people who are not like us, respect for the opponent in the field, respecting others as a whole, and sending this respect whenever possible.

Those who killed Federico were polar opposites to these values, to our values.

We cannot accept that one of us was killed in 2022 in the heart of the French capital, because he respected and applied these values, To which we add, in remembrance of Federico, generosity, generosity, fight for social justice and above all the love of sharing with family and friendship.

On March 19, at dawn, each of us could be in Federico’s place. Today, we are always trying to understand the unacceptable, the unimaginable in our life programs and in our hearts.

No longer should a person die in such conditions, no longer should a family grieve for the causes of extreme right -wing ideology, we will continue to fight for our values, our ideas, We will always fight those who want to infiltrate our country. Our differences are our wealth. We are a Nation.

Bernard Laporte and Serge Simon, President and Vice President of the French Rugby Federation; French national team coach Fabien Galthiéde; Gonzalo Quesada, manager of Stade Francais; legends such as Thibaut Lacroix and Pumas players (current and former). Santiago Chocobares, Mariano Galarza, Juan Cruz Mallía, Felipe Contepomi, Horacio Agulla, Alberto Vernet Basualdo, Patricio Albacete, Juan Leguizamón and Agustín Pichot They are just a few of the important people in the world of rugby who put their signature and remember Federico Martín Aramburú in a very special way.