Haouas will play for the French club next season
Montpellier have explained their decision to re-sign Mohamed Haouas after he was convicted of domestic abuse last year.
Haouas received a court conviction for hitting his wife in public. That resulted in his contract with Clermont being terminated but Biarritz signed him for the 2023/24 season. The French international was also left out the national team’s squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Montpellier, who Haouas played for from 2017-2023, have announced they have signed the prop for the 2024/25 campaign.
The club released a statement explaining the decision: “Originally from Le Havre, Mohamed began his career as a professional rugby player in Montpellier and recently played for Biarritz Olympique, demonstrating irreproachable behaviour during this period…
“Mohamed Haouas will return to the GGL Stadium this summer on a one-year contract, conditional on exemplary behaviour. As part of its commitment to social reintegration, the MHR will provide additional support to Mohamed Haouas off the field, in collaboration with the Centre for the Care of Perpetrators of Domestic Violence.”
Haouas added: “I would like to thank the MHR and president Mohed Altrad for reaching out to me and offering me a new chance where many have turned their backs on me.
“I owe him a lot of this club and today I feel ready to give back everything he has given me. I have already taken steps, with the help of the club, with an association in Montpellier which will help me to work on myself and on the gestures that I have been able to make and that I regret.
“I am grateful for this opportunity and I will give everything, on and off the pitch, to prove those who trusted me right when I needed it most.”
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