Coach and executives of French basketball club Flammes Carolo detained
Police in Reims have detained five Flammes Carolo staff, including the head coach and the club president. Initial reports link the case to social security fraud.
Criminal police in the French city of Reims simultaneously detained five employees of the basketball club Flammes Carolo on Tuesday, BeBasket.fr reported on Wednesday. The detentions took place alongside a search, and those held on Tuesday remained in custody on Wednesday.
According to initial reports, the case involves social security fraud, including falsified sick leave certificates.
Who was detained
Television channel Ici Champagne Ardenne TV established that the detainees include club president Yannick Yernaux, head coach Romuald Yernaux and team doctor Maxime Buffet. No players were among those detained, so the team's game was not postponed.
Romuald Yernaux, who is 50, has been head coach of Flammes Carolo since 2001. His team qualified for the EuroLeague Women's main tournament on 30 September, winning 81:55 away to Reyer Venezia in Italy.
League game
In a league game, Basket Landes beat Flammes Carolo 69:61 in front of 1,875 spectators. Latvian player Aleksa Gulbe spent 18 minutes and 48 seconds on court, scoring two points, grabbing four rebounds and blocking one shot.
A game between Bourges and Chartres did not take place on Wednesday because a respiratory virus outbreak had been registered in the visiting team.
