MOSCOW, Sep 22 Zenit St. Petersburg defender Thomas Ertel will not be called up to the French national team after signing a contract with the Russian club, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) said in a statement. Ertel signed a 1+1 contract with Zenit on Wednesday. Earlier, the media reported that the French Basketball Federation banned players from the Russian Federation from being called up to the national team.
"The point guard no longer meets the selection criteria for the next international competitions, including the 2024 Olympic Games", — FFBB said in a statement.
As the federation notes, the basketball player has signed an obligation not to play for Russian and Belarusian teams. Ertel did not notify the organization of the agreement with Zenit. Ertel was part of the national team at the EuroBasket that ended in September, where the French team reached the final. Together with the French national team, Ertel also became the European champion (2013), the silver medalist of the Olympics (2020), the bronze medalist of the World Cup (2014). Ertel is 33 years old, last season he played 27 matches in the Euroleague for the Spanish «Real», in 14 of them left in the starting lineup.