Mohed Altrad defends Bastien Chalureau

In the midst of controversy, Bastien Chalureau, the second line of the XV of France, sentenced by the courts in November 2020 for racist insults, came to a press conference on Monday to deliver its truth : “What I can tell you is that I confessed my mistakes, that I paid my debts and that I deny any racist remarks“.

Mohed Altrad, the president of Montpellier wanted to come to the support of his player. In the Free lunchhe rocks : “ This controversy was launched by LFI deputies. Like them, I fight racism everywhere, especially in sport. I believe in the principle of the presumption of innocence. Bastien, whom I know, denies the facts. He is therefore not convicted, his criminal record is still clean since it is in the first instance. What shocks me is that the deputies condemn it. However, he is innocent at the moment. »

And to explain: Bastien did his stupid thing, he says it himself. He had a past which was not easy on the rugby level. His future has become uncertain. We took him as a medical joker in February 2020, we gave him a chance. And he demonstrated that he was not racist. We have and have had players of Arab origin in the club. They are even his friends. Yacou (Camara), Momo (Haouas) or others… He never showed anything. He’s been at the club for four years. »

Before concluding : “ If Bastien is racist, why would he play in Montpellier and not in the France team? If he’s racist, he doesn’t play, that’s all. »