Max Brito (8 April 1968 – 19 December 2022) was an Ivorian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player on the Ivory Coast rugby team. As a result of injuries sustained at the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

in South Africa, he was

paralysed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

. As of 2007, he could only move his head, torso and an arm.

Career

Brito played as a winger, and spent his career playing for Biscarrosse Olympique in the

Fédérale 3 Fédérale 3 is the seventh division of rugby union in France. The competition involves 226 clubs in 21 pools of 8, and winners can progress up into higher division of competition. The competition above Fédérale 3 is Fédérale 2 and above that, ...

division of French rugby. An

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

by trade, he was noticeable on the field for his long dreadlocks as well as his brave play. Brito was called into the

Ivory Coast national rugby union team The Ivory Coast national rugby union team, nicknamed ''Les Éléphants'', participates in the annual Africa Cup and are considered a third tier rugby team. Formed in 1990, the team's most significant achievement to date was their success in qua ...

for the

. Brito came on as a substitute in the opening game against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

which the Ivory Coast lost by 89 points to nil, a result which led many to question the inclusion of "minor" teams in the tournament. He played again in the second game for Les Elephants, who put in a vastly improved performance against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, despite losing 54–18.

Injury

Brito started Ivory Coast's third match against

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

on 3 June. He caught a high ball that had been kicked up the field, and set off on a counter-attack. He was tackled by

Inoke Afeaki Inoke Afeaki (born 12 July 1973 in Tofoa, Tongatapu) is a Tongan former rugby union footballer, coach and administrator. He has played professionally in New Zealand, Japan, Wales, France and Tonga, and coached in France, New Zealand and Singapor ...

, the Tonga flanker, before a

ruck Ruck may refer to: * Ruck (rugby union), a contesting for the ball in Rugby Union from a grounded player * Ruck (Australian rules football), an aerial contest in Australian rules football between rival ruckmen * Ruck (rugby league), the area sur ...

formed over him. The ruck collapsed and several players fell on top of Brito, leaving him prone and motionless on the ground. Brito was taken to the intensive care unit of the Unitas Hospital in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

with broken vertebrae. Operations were carried out to stabilise the fourth and fifth vertebrae, but Brito was left paralysed below the neck. After the accident, Brito was given treatment and compensation, which was funded by all sides competing at the

. Nevertheless, in 2007, it was reported that Brito was still largely unable to move, being bedridden most of the time, with only some limited movement in his chest and arms. He and his wife separated, whilst he had little contact with his sons, and he lived with his parents in Bordeaux. There was some criticism of how his case was handled, after the initial support:

Damian Hopley Damian Hopley (born 12 April 1970) is a former rugby union player for London Wasps and England. His position of choice was on the wing or in the centres. Background Born in South London, Hopley attended St Benedict's School in Ealing West ...

, Head of the Professional Rugby Players' Association, said in 2003, "We became involved in money-raising events for Max ... but there was very little support for him from Rugby World Cup." In his 2007 interview, Brito was portrayed as living an unhappy life. He was quoted as saying:

It is now 12 years since I have been in this state. I have come to the end of my tether... If one day I fall seriously ill, and if I have the strength and courage to take my own life, then I will do it...This bloody handicap – it's my curse. It kills me and I will never accept it. I can't live with it and it's going to be with me for the rest of my life.

But in 2020, in an interview with '' i'', he revealed he had undergone a spiritual transformation that had helped him cope with his disability.

I would say there were 13 or 14 years of fog where I didn't know where I was. The accident was very violent. But after that I had a spiritual enlightenment and I understood that it was necessary to accept my handicap. And from that moment on, all the doors were open.

Death

Brito died on 19 December 2022, at the age of 54.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brito, Max 1968 births 2022 deaths Expatriate rugby union players in France Ivorian expatriate rugby union players Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in France Ivorian rugby union players People with tetraplegia Rugby union centres Rugby union wings Sportspeople from Abidjan