The French international leader, Thomas Heurtel, reacted sharply on Monday to people criticizing his choice to join the Zenith Saint Petersburg club, in Russia, believing that he had "completely nothing to give a damn".
"Just FYI, to anyone who messages or writes comments criticizing me for my decision to come to Russia or any decision in general, please know that I don't give a fuck," wrote Heurtel on his social networks, adding: "So don't be + sucky + and stop wasting your time.
And please, above all, buy yourself a life!!
Thanks in advance ".
Two other French in the same case
On October 2, the 33-year-old leader played his first minutes of play with Saint Petersburg, which he joined on September 21, just a few weeks after signing, like all the players of the Blues selected for the Euro, a sworn statement “indicating that he was not engaged and that he did not plan to sign with a Russian or Belarusian club”, as the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) had recalled.
By making his debut with the Russian club, the international with 99 caps was deprived of the France team, one year before the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines (August 25-September 10) and two years of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The federal office of the FFBB indeed decided on July 28 that French players engaged in Russian or Belarusian clubs would not be “no longer selectable” until the end of the war in Ukraine.
In addition to Heurtel, two other French players are playing in the Russian championship: Louis Labeyrie (33 caps) in Kazan and Livio Jean-Charles (4 caps) at CSKA Moscow, cannot claim new calls in blue either.
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Saint PETERSBOURG
Basketball
France basketball team
Russia
War in Ukraine