Bastareaud hospitalised with mental problems

FEARS for the welfare of France centre Mathieu Bastareaud are growing after it was revealed that the 20-year-old has been hospitalised suffering from serious psychological problems, according to his club, Stade Francais.

The giant three-quarter, who has been embroiled in a growing scandal in New Zealand and in France over an assault claim, is said to have been hospitalised on Monday and put under 24-hour surveillance, l’Equipe reported.

Bastareaud was flown home early last week from France’s tour of New Zealand and Australia after claiming that he had been attacked by five men outside the team hotel, just hours after France’s 14-10 loss against New Zealand in Wellington on June 21.

However, Bastareaud later admitted that he had invented the story and that the bruises and cuts to his face were the result of drunkenly falling over a table in his bedroom later that night.

The player claimed he had created the story to avoid being sent home by the French team and to avoid shaming his family, who are deeply religious. Shocked by the interest in the story, he decided he had to come clean.

Stade Francais owner Max Guazzini said on Monday that the player would be remaining under supervision for a minimum of two weeks at an unnamed Paris hospital due to “serious psychological problems”.

Bastareaud had been due to go on holiday to the Caribbean with his family on returning from France’s tour of New Zealand and Australia.

But Guazzini said the massive media interest in the story had left him devastated and condemned the French press for “hounding a 20-year-old boy”.

“Journalists have even gone to his house and to that of his parents,” continued the Stade Francais president.

“He is completely devastated. He has to be left alone.”

The latest twist in this sorry saga follows reports from Le Parisien on Sunday that Bastareaud’s injuries may have caused by one of his own team-mates rather than a piece of furniture.

“Drunk and aggressive, Bastareaud was calmed down by a fist of one of his team-mates,” claimed the tabloid.

No. 8 Louis Picamoles and flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo were named by the paper as being involved in the incident but both denied the allegation.

CCTV footage attained by Wellington police show Bastareaud arriving back at the team hotel at 5.22am unharmed and accompanied by Picamoles, Ouedraogo and two women. It was another 25 minutes before the 20-year-old entered his hotel room.

And while the picture of what happened that night in Wellington still remains unclear, there have been shockwaves in New Zealand over the whole affair. Many are upset at Bastareaud’s attempts to tar the reputation of a country that counts tourism as one of its most vital economic sectors.

The president of the NZRU Steve Tew, said: “Like all New Zealanders, I am extremely disappointed and will be expressing that concern to the French Rugby Federation.”

The FFR (Federation Francaise de Rugby) have said they will launch an enquiry into the affair. FFR president Pierre Camou announced yesterday he had asked the organisation’s disciplinary body to investigate the matter but that no date had yet been fixed.