Basketball: after violent hazing at Insep, the Pôle France NM1 team withdraws from the 2026-27 season

“Facts of particular gravity”. This is how the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) described the events which took place on the night of September 13 to 14 at Insep. It was a question of “facts relating to hazing practices between players of the Pôle France de Basketball took place within the boarding school”. Thunderbolt which led to the suspension of ten athletes, all minors, who were subject to “measures prohibiting access to INSEP as a precautionary measure”. What about the France BasketBall Center?

Engaged in NM1, the team found itself in a perfectly untenable situation. And the news fell this Tuesday, after the postponement of the matches of the first three days: “In these exceptional circumstances, the FFBB has decided to declare the general withdrawal of the Pôle France BasketBall team – Yvan Mainini in Men’s National 1 for the 2026-2027 season”.

Curtain. The FFBB and the National Technical Directorate (DTN) studied “different solutions allowing the season to continue. Several alternatives were therefore considered to supplement the available workforce. After analysis, none of these solutions today makes it possible to sustainably guarantee the participation of Pôle France in the championship under satisfactory conditions, without placing excessive demands on the youngest players, particularly those involved at the same time in the French U18 Elite Championship,” we explain in a press release from the federation.

Protection of the physical and psychological integrity of young people

And to add: “Such a situation would expose these young players to an accumulation of meetings and sporting and physical constraints which the Federation considers to be incompatible with the protection of their physical integrity and with the training objectives of the Pôle France (…) The protection of the physical and psychological integrity of young players must, in the current circumstances, prevail over any other sporting consideration.”

Remember that there had been talk of blows by older players to other residents. Young people who were all minors. an administrative investigation was immediately launched. Then, it will be up to the Insep disciplinary council to decide on possible sanctions.

The National Technical Director (DTN) of the “Fédé”, Alain Contensoux, and its president, Jean-Pierre Huckler, also made a report to the public prosecutor. The FFBB emphasizes that the precautionary measures taken “do not prejudge the conclusions of the investigations nor the individual responsibilities that may be established”. They are nevertheless concrete consequences, with this package for the season…