convicted of domestic violence, Mohamed Haouas will not be selected

He will not participate in the Rugby World Cup this fall. Mohamed Haouas, sentenced last week for domestic violence, was dismissed from the French selection by Fabien Galthié. “Last week, when he came out of prison, I called him, I talked to him. I listened to him. I told him that he would not be selected. He replied that he understood, that he apologized to the players and the staff”explained the coach of the Blues during a press conference.

Last week, the 29-year-old right-hand pillar was sentenced to a year in jail after he punched his wife, who was smoking a cigarette outside the mall where she works. The prosecutor had requested a total of 18 months of firm detention with a warrant of committal, “to protect” his wife, believing that the player’s risk of reoffending was “major”. But the criminal court did not follow this requisition.

An “incompatible” behavior with a selection

The Montpellier player could have seen his sentence adjusted to play during the Rugby World Cup, scheduled from September 8 to October 28. But Fabien Galthié preferred to dismiss it. “I did not survey the players but I spoke a lot with them. We needed to exchange. I will keep the content of the exchanges for us, it remains intimate. But this is not good news for him. , this is not good news for us”he justified.

As soon as the judgment was announced, the Clermont club, which Mohamed Haouas was to join for three years from July 1, announced that he “could not wear the colors on the pitch” of the club. The French Rugby Federation meanwhile said last week that “Mohammed Haouas’ behavior is unacceptable and incompatible” with a selection in Blue.