Nécrologie – Mort cause de décès.
Didier Mené, former president of the referees commission and a well-known figure in French rugby, passed away on May 26, 2023, at the age of 59. He had suffered a heart attack. Mené was born in Prades, a town located in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. He was an accomplished rugby referee, having officiated in three Top 14 finals and 12 international matches.
Mené began his refereeing career in 1994, when he officiated an Argentina-USA match. In 1995, he became the youngest French referee to officiate a match in the Five Nations Tournament when he refereed a Wales-England match at the age of 30. He continued to referee at the international level for seven years.
In 2009, Mené retired from refereeing and took over as the president of the central referees commission. He held this position until 2016, when he was replaced by Bernard Laporte, the new president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR). In 2020, Mené joined the opposition list of Florian Grill.
Mené’s death has been met with an outpouring of grief from the rugby community. The FFR expressed its “profound sadness” at his passing. Alexandre Martinez, the interim president of the FFR, said, “Didier Mené served our sport with passion and dedication. We invite all members of the FFR and the rugby community to honor his memory and his dedication to our sport.”
Many others in the rugby world and in Mené’s home region of Catalan have also paid tribute to him. The Actu Rugby Twitter account shared a message of condolence, and many other organizations and individuals have expressed their sadness at his passing.
Mené was an important figure in French rugby, and his contributions to the sport will not be forgotten. He will be remembered for his dedication to the game, his passion for refereeing, and his role as a leader in the referees commission. His passing is a loss for the entire rugby community.