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Cracked under pressure:
Mathieu Bastareaud
Photo: Michael Paler |
Media reports in France are claiming shamed international Mathieu Bastareaud had to be
rescued from the River Seine after an apparent suicide
attempt.
Newspapers say the 20-year-old jumped
into the Paris river at the weekend as
controversy continued to rage over his
lies that he was assaulted by four to five men in Wellington,
New Zealand.
The hulking centre subsequently
retracted the claims after police confronted him with CCTV
evidence showing that he walked into the team hotel
uninjured in any way. Bastareaud went on to say that he had
cut his cheekbone after falling down drunk in his hotel
room, a claim that has also been disputed by sections of the
media.
It has been rumoured the injuries were,
instead, sustained after he was punched by a teammate in the
25 minutes between returning to the hotel and entering his
own room.
Max Guazzini, Bastareaud’s club
president at Stade Francais, initially informed the press
that the player had then gone on holiday to the Caribbean,
before later saying he had been admitted to hospital for
“severe psychological problems”.
Now reports say that Bastareaud cracked
under the intense media pressure that has surrounded the
story and tried to drown himself in the River Seine at the
weekend.
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“He sent me a text saying he couldn’t
stand this harassment,” said club colleague Mathieu Blin.
“Now he’s completely gone off the rails,” he added.
Some newspapers are further questioning
the latest version of events with team manager Jo Maso
reported to have backed up claims that Bastareaud’s injuries
were sustained in a fight between players.
The Federation Francais de Rugby (FFR)
has, meanwhile, confirmed it will launch an inquiry into the
whole affair, although no date has yet been set.
In a separate development French Prime
Minister Francois Fillon has written to his New Zealand
counterpart apologising for Bastareaud's claims.
"France's tour of New Zealand has been
marked by the unacceptable behaviour of one of its players,"
said Fillon in his letter to John Key.
"By his false statements, as a result
of which you had to intervene publicly, he seriously tainted
the image of your country and its people," added Fillon.
"Our two countries share the culture of
rugby. This sport has allows allowed us to meet and share a
mutual respect. I hope that these sentiments will continue
after this regrettable affair," he further wrote.
Players union Provale, meanwhile, lent
its support to Bastareaud. "We solemnly demand tha the media
storm which nurtures doubts and fantasies ends immediately.
We want above all that his privacy be respected and we hope
that he makes a return to the pitch as quickly as possible,"
it said in a statement.
French newspaper Le
Parisien reported earlier in the week that the player was hit by one of his own
colleagues after returning to the hotel. Team-mates Louis
Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo have been named as the two
players who returned to the hotel – in company with two
females – at the same time as Bastareaud, although both are
denying their involvement.
“Drunk and aggressive,
Bastareaud was reportedly calmed down by a fist from one of
his team-mates,” said Le Parisien.
Inspector Peter Cowan,
who led the New Zealand police investigation into the
alleged mugging, had already confirmed that there was a 25
minute window between Bastareaud entering the hotel and
returning to his own room.
“What happened in that
25 minutes is obviously open to a lot of speculation,” he
said last week. “Now I’m now in a position to tell you, all
I can tell you is Mr Bastareaud was not assaulted outside
the hotel by four or five mugs.”
Le Parisien says an
internal team investigation has concluded that Picamoles and
Ouedraogo returned to the hotel in a taxi accompanied by two
un-named women. Bastareaud apparently arrived at the same
time in a separate taxi.
Picamoles and
Bastareaud were subsequently flown home to France due to
injuries, with Ouedraogo staying on to play against
Australia last weekend.
