Something new in the soap opera Thomas Heurtel – French team. More than a year after being excluded from the selection because of his signing in Russia, where he extended last summer and which therefore ended his career in Blue, the 34-year-old leader provides details on what happened before Eurobasket 2022.
Where a famous charter prevented any French player from wearing the tricolor jersey if he signed up with a Russian or Belarusian club.
And, if he still hoped to play again in the French team a year ago, Thomas Heurtel knows that he can now put aside the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, allowing him to be very clear about this situation , with our colleagues at Skweek.
“ Of course » he assures, when asked if Jean-Pierre Siutat, Vincent Collet and Boris Diaw knew that he was going to join Zenit Saint-Petersburg even before the start of this Eurobasket. “ Of course the charter was something bogus. That's why we have to tear it up, because everyone knew about it…”
The Federation denies this version…
In a press releasethe Federation responded that “ for the sake of ethics, the Federal Office made the decision, on July 28, 2022, before the gathering of the French team in preparation for the Eurobasket, that 'the players and staff who sign a contract with a Russian or Belarusian club can no longer be selected, as long as the exclusion measures [de la Russie] of all international competitions will be in force' “.
These measures are “ still in progress » and the Federation adds that “ the Federal Office of the FFBB and its President, Jean-Pierre Siutat, were not aware of the existence of a contract between Thomas Heurtel and a Russian or Belarusian club “.
Finally, the Federation concludes that “ it was clearly the player's choice, after the Eurobasket, to sign and play for a Russian club with full knowledge of the facts and in non-compliance with the sworn certificate he had signed “.
The two camps therefore take turns passing the buck…
