PARIS, June 30 – France centre Mathieu Bastareaud has been hospitalised because of serious psychological problems, according to his club president Max Guazzini.
The 20-year-old Stade Francais star admitted last week that he had invented a story about being assaulted outside his hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, following a 14-10 defeat in the second Test.
Guazzini said that instead of going on a holiday to the West Indies as had been planned Bastareaud – cousin of Arsenal and France defender William Gallas – had instead been admitted to hospital and would stay there for at least a fortnight.
Guazzini, though, said that the massive press interest had left the player totally devastated.
"Journalists have even gone to his house and that of his parents," said Guazzini.
"He is completely devastated, he has to be left alone."
Video footage showed him walking back into the hotel unscarred with two team-mates and two women – the next day he turned up with a bruised cheekbone and returned to France ahead of the one-off test with Australia.
However, his admission last week he had made the story up and had fallen over a table in his hotel room provoked outrage in New Zealand prompting France Rugby Federation president Pierre Camou to apologise to the New Zealand people and rugby federation while launching disciplinary procedures.
