Basketball: "I have no words, only tears," sighs Matthew Strazel, who has withdrawn from the Euro and is being replaced by Nadir Hifi

A tough blow for the Blues. Victim of a " muscle contusion in his right thigh ," Matthew Strazel was only " rested " for the final warm-up match against Greece (92-77 victory) on Sunday in Athens. A term that was meant to be reassuring. However, the axe has fallen. Olympic runner-up last summer in Paris 2024, the AS Monaco point guard has been forced to withdraw from EuroBasket (August 27-September 14).

The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) has analyzed this withdrawal, which comes four days before Les Bleus' Euro opener against Belgium, citing a thigh injury sustained against Spain (78-73) on August 16 at the Accor Arena. " Matthew Strazel followed a treatment protocol with AS Monaco during the three-day break granted to the players, then with Les Bleus' medical staff upon his return to the group in Greece, " it explained in a press release . It should be remembered that Les Tricolores arrived in the Greek capital on Friday. It was there that Strazel underwent " additional tests (which) however confirmed that the player still needed to undergo a period of rest, followed by a necessary physical reconditioning, following his break. These delays are incompatible with his participation in EuroBasket ."

Skip the ad

A heartbreak, we can easily imagine, for the author of this heroic shot against Japan last year, at the Olympics . " Lightning strikes me. I have no words, only tears. I would have done anything to vibrate with this jersey and to carry this new generation ," he sighs on social networks. It is obviously also a hard blow for Freddy Fauthoux, who had chosen to take three playmakers for the European Championship, with Théo Malédon (Real Madrid) and Sylvain Francisco (Zalgiris Kaunas).

Finally, the coach preferred to recall... a guard, Nadir Hifi, cut last Sunday . French champion after Paris Basketball, the Strasbourg native (23 years old, 6 caps) " will join the French team on Monday, in Katowice (Poland) ", where the Blues will play their first round at the Euro, in group D. " The choice not to take Nadir was difficult to make because he is competitive, he has already shown throughout the season with Paris, he was very good against Montenegro (81-75) , he was very good in the first match against Spain (75-67) " , noted Fauthoux last Sunday , justifying his choice by the quest for "complementarity compared to the other guards ". A complementarity that will therefore have to be articulated with the madness, the passion and the rather unique talent of Nadir Hifi during the EuroBasket.