Mohamed Haouas, pillar of Montpellier and the XV of France of rugby, was placed Friday evening in police custody in Montpellier for acts of domestic violence, indicated his lawyer Marc Gallix to AFP, confirming information from L’Equipe .
The exact circumstances that led to the player’s arrest are currently unknown.
Aged 29, married and father of two children, the colossus of the MHR (1.85 m, 123 kg), who will play in Clermont next season, said on May 12 that he wanted to “turn the page on the mistakes of youth”, while two years of suspended prison sentence had been requested against him before the Montpellier Criminal Court for “aggravated violence” in a meeting committed almost ten years ago.
“My goal is never to return to court again,” he said at the hearing, explaining that he was trying to “evolve”: “I decided to leave Montpellier before the end of my contract to change everything, change house, city, life”.
A year ago, the international (16 caps) was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence for his involvement in burglaries in 2014, when he had not yet started his professional career.
In the case of aggravated violence – a fight of rare violence also involving the rugby player’s childhood friends – the Montpellier Criminal Court will hand down its decision on June 30, about two months before the World Cup in France ( September 8-October 28), in which the future resident of ASM Clermont hopes to participate. But his recurring indiscipline could compromise his chances of selection.
During the last Six Nations Tournament, he was suspended for four weeks for a whim in the 13th minute of play on opposing scrum-half Ben White, during a match won by the Blues against Scotland (32- 21).
He had already received a red card against Scotland in the 2020 Tournament after punching an opponent in the face.
