French Federation to work on return of Thomas Heurtel / News - Basketnews.com

The French Basketball Federation will work on a political level to allow Thomas Heurtel to represent France once again.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

After the French national team's fiasco at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the issue of Thomas Heurtel gained extra attention once again. In a recent press conference, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) addressed the matter one more time.

Thomas Heurtel

Position:PG, SGAge:34Height:188 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:FranceProfileNewsStatistics

In a dedicated presser, it was announced that Vincent Collet would remain the head coach of the national team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games despite an 18th-place finish in the recent international tournament.

When the World Cup ended, team captain Nicolas Batum attacked the FFBB for not allowing Heurtel to represent the country, to which the Minister of Sport and the Olympic & Paralympic Games responded.

Heurtel was banned from playing for France after agreeing to play for Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2022.

The situation especially bugs the players since the rule is not applied to all athletes. Notably, French volleyball player Jenia Grebennikov, who plays as a libero for Zenit Saint Petersburg, was not banned from the national team and continues to wear the colors of the French flag.

Talking about it, the FFBB president Jean-Pierre Siutat said that extra steps will be made in order to bring Heurtel back to the lineup in time for the Paris Olympics.

"We will work on the political level, and we are looking at all the solutions that would perhaps allow him to be selectable," Siutat said about Heurtel.

"Everyone will have to understand that nothing will be possible if we don’t team up again," Collet added.

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.