The Fenerbahçe club announced the departure, by mutual agreement, of French volleyball star Earvin Ngapeth, who will play in Tours for the next two seasons. Discipline issues have been mentioned by the Turkish press.
He arrived at Fenerbahçe in December 2024, coming from Poitiers where he had a dream start of the season thanks to the double Olympic champion. But Earvin Ngapeth is leaving Turkey. The Istanbul club announced on Monday through a brief statement the departure, by mutual agreement, of the 35-year-old receiver-attacker, who was under contract until June 30. The regular season of the Turkish championship ended eight days ago, and Fenerbahçe could only finish sixth and will not compete in the semifinals.
Turkish media report discipline problems as the reason for this departure. The French volleyball player was reportedly caught with a cigarette in hand. A former Fenerbahçe official stated to a club news specialist journalist, Hodri Meydan: “Ngapeth is very talented, he may even be the best spiker of all time. He had serious discipline issues and it took strong leadership to deal with them… If you do not address his lateness and undisciplined behavior – despite all the warnings from his coach – it becomes impossible to enforce discipline. In this case, you cannot get the best out of the player or manage the situation in a healthy way. Finally, you are forced to terminate his contract before an important cup match against Galatasaray. I really do not know what to say!”
Earvin Ngapeth is not expected to play again before his upcoming commitments with the French national team, if he is selected: the Nations League from June 10 and then the Euro in September. He will then return to his first club, Tours, where he signed in February for the upcoming seasons.
