Two French international rugby players have been charged with the aggravated rape of a woman following a match in Argentina, prosecutors in the South American country say.
Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, are accused of raping a 39-year-old woman after France beat Argentina on Saturday.
She alleges that they raped her multiple times and beat her in a hotel room in the city of Mendoza.
The pair, who chose “not to testify” at a hearing in the city, say they had consensual sex with the woman and deny rape. They will remain in custody while authorities investigate further.
The woman alleged the attack took place at the Diplomatic Hotel, where France’s players and staff were staying as part of a tour of South America.
Her lawyer says she left a nightclub with one of the men and accompanied him to the hotel room, where she alleges that she was raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other.
Ms Romano told AFP that her client suffered “fierce” violence, with injuries to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs as well as various bite and scratch marks.
The woman was held against her will for several hours and tried to escape several times, Ms Romano said.
Her client went to hospital on Thursday after feeling ill emotionally and physically because of the incident and is receiving treatment at a health facility, she added.
On Friday a lawyer for the players said his clients were confident in their version of events.
