A club in France’s Elite 1 competition have hit out at London Broncos by claiming a recent signing is still contracted to them.
The French domestic season runs through the winter meaning that the Elite 1 competition is currently in full flow and ninth-placed St Gaudens Bears have released a statement hitting out at London Broncos.
The Bears took to Facebook to share a statement where they allege that London Broncos’ recent signing Christopher Hellec, who the Championship side confirmed as a new signing on January 31st, is still contracted to Saint Gaudens.
When announcing Hellec’s arrival, London stated: “London Broncos are delighted to announce the signing of French back Christopher Hellec who joins subject to receiving a visa.”
Hellec would comment: “I’m so happy to be joining London Broncos for the upcoming season. I can’t wait to meet all my new teammates and you supporters.”
However, it seems that it’s not all that simple given Saint Gaudens statement.
French club hit out at London Broncos claiming signing is still their player
Taking to Facebook, the club’s president Jean-Claude Estrampes reacted to the signing news with his major claim being that Hellec is still contractually a Saint Gaudens player.
Estrampes statement claims that Hellec is ‘committed to Racing for the 24/25 season’ and that he’s still contracted. He also claims that no communication has taken place between London and Saint Gaudens regarding the situation.
The president goes on to request Hellec’s immediate release otherwise action will be taken against London. They will lean on the French Rugby Federation to help them in this should London not comply.
London’s announcement confirmed that Hellec’s signing was subject to him receiving a visa, something that the RFL have confirmed that they are involved in.
The governing body have also contacted the French Federation to gain clearance so that Hellec can be registered, however, given Saint Gaudens’ statement it’s unclear if that clearance will be granted.
London Broncos don’t play this weekend having been knocked out of the Challenge Cup but they face a tough start to their Championship campaign a week later with a game against competition favourites Bradford Bulls.
