French basketball star banned after joining Russian team
French basketball star banned after joining Russian team
French basketball player Thomas Heurtel has been banned from playing for his country after continuing his career at Zenit St. Petersburg Read Full Article at RT.com
Thomas Heurtel will no longer be allowed to play for his country
Basketball player Thomas Heurtel’s career with the French national team is “over” after he opted to join Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, officials have declared.
Heurtel, 33, joined Zenit in September shortly after helping France to win silver at the European championships.
The star point guard made the move despite French basketball bosses warning that any players who appear in Russia will no longer be considered for national team selection.
Heurtel had reportedly signed a written statement to confirm his compliance, only to infuriate French officials by moving to Russia following the 2022 EuroBasket tournament.
In a statement to L’Equipe on Tuesday, French Basketball Federation (FFBB) president Jean-Pierre Siutat said that Heurtel’s time in national colors was finished.
“Regarding Thomas, to whom we had clearly explained how things work, he did not honor his commitment. For me, as of today, I consider that he will no longer be there (with the French team). It’s over,” said Siutat.
The FFBB warned at the start of August that players who appear for Russian or Belarusian teams would not be eligible for selection while the conflict in Ukraine continues.
Players and officials were asked to sign a “sworn certificate” to confirm their agreement, and any breaches meant they could forfeit the right to appear at competitions including the Paris 2024 Olympics.
French players Livio Jean-Charles and Louis Labeyrie – who play at CSKA Moscow and UNICS Kazan respectively – reportedly did not sign the document and were removed from the FFBB list.
Heurtel, however, did appear at the 2022 EuroBasket tournament in September, where he helped France to the final, eventually losing to Spain.
Days later, it was announced that the 6ft 2in star had joined Zenit on a one-year deal with the option of a one-year extension.
Basketball officials had suggested somewhat ambiguously in September that Heurtel could still make the French team for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics, as long as he chose not to extend his stay in Russia next year.
However, Siutat’s latest comments appear to have shut down that possibility entirely.
Heurtel himself responded to the scandal in a social media post earlier in October, in which he said he “doesn’t give a f***” about the criticism.
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