Thomas Heurtel played his first matches with Zénith Saint-Petersburg, in Russia. A signing that has caused a lot of talk because it excludes the leader of the French team for the next international matches.
At the beginning of August, the FFBB had indeed announced that “the players and staff of the French teams would no longer be selectable if they sign a contract with a Russian or Belarusian club, as long as the conflict is ongoing”. To play the Euro with the Blues, Thomas Heurtel had also signed a sworn statement, stipulating that he was not engaged or would not engage with a Russian or Belarusian club for the duration of the conflict with Ukraine. While contacts with St. Petersburg already existed.
Did Thomas Heurtel circumvent the rule put in place by the FFBB, by lying to the federation, or did the latter turn a blind eye in order to have a valuable creator for the European championship?
“If the FFBB was informed that Thomas Heurtel had contacts with foreign clubs, including Russian ones, at no time was it informed that a contract had been signed or was being signed with a Russian club” ensured the federation. “The player had signed the sworn statement at the start of the French team rally, indicating that he was not engaged and did not plan to sign with a Russian or Belarusian club. »
When contacted, Thomas Heurtel’s agents told us that they had no comments to make, while reserving the possibility of expressing “the truth about the whole process according to the evolution of things”.
On Instagram, the 33-year-old leader was more direct…
“Just so you know, to all the people who message me or write comments criticizing me for my decision to come to Russia, or decision in general, please know that I don’t give a fuck at all so don’t be suck it up and stop wasting your time. And please, buy yourself a life! Thanks in advance. »
