"After having had to forfeit at the start of preparation following a thigh injury contracted during a training session, Moustapha Fall will join the France group in Cologne (Germany)", indicated the management of the Blues in a press release.

"He will gradually reintegrate the squad on the pitch to ensure his complete recovery," added the staff of the France team, which has already recorded the return from injury of point guard Andrew Albicy last week.

Olympic silver medalist with the Blues last summer in Tokyo, Fall (2.16m) was a real offensive asset in the racket, in a rotation with three pivots with Vincent Poirier and Rudy Gobert.

This return leads to the departure of Jaiteh, who remained on the bench during the defeat in Bosnia and Herzegovina (96-90) on Saturday in a qualifying match for the 2023 World Cup.

"I had recently warned Mam (Jaiteh) of the potential return of Mous (Fall), explained the coach of the Blues Vincent Collet. His seriousness and his abnegation were a real contribution and an example for all of us."

Tokyo medalists almost complete

This departure is in addition to that of the winger Cordinier, announced a little earlier by the management of the France team.

"I would like to congratulate and thank Isaïa for his exemplary attitude throughout this preparation, commented Collet. (...) We had to make a delicate and difficult choice essentially dictated by complementarity."

The emergence of Terry Tarpey as the first or second defensive asset during the preparation matches for the Euro and during the two qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup undoubtedly dictated this choice.

Cordinier, the last player to have to leave the group of the French team before the Tokyo Olympics, suffered from the comparison with Tarpey in the defensive sector, while the roles now seem well defined within the collective of the Blues, behind the two leaders Evan Fournier and Gobert.

Except for the executives Nicolas Batum and Nando de Colo, Vincent Collet can now count on a group similar to the one who managed to win the silver medal in Tokyo.

"The final selection of the twelve players for the EuroBasket is not yet determined. The composition of the France team for the competition must be formalized, at the latest, the day before the competition, Wednesday August 31" , However, said the management of the Blues.

© 2022 AFP