Tahirys Dos Santos is one of the French people who were injured in the fatal fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on the night of December 31 to January 1. His agent Christophe Hutteau gave the first news of the Metz player, transferred to Germany to a burn unit.
Christophe Hutteau, what news do you have regarding Tahirys Dos Santos?
I did not speak with him. He was not able to express himself. I spoke with his parents throughout the day, they kept me informed of the progress of his state of health. They were warned this morning around 6:30 a.m. of what had just happened and the state in which Tahirys found himself. They immediately took the road from Lorraine to reach Sion, where he was hospitalized. In the evening, he was transferred to Stuttgart, to a hospital capable of accommodating burn victims. Tahirys’ parents are currently on the road between Switzerland and Germany.
Physically, how is he?
The big positive point is that contrary to what the doctors had imagined this morning, he was not placed on artificial respiration so he has regained lung capacity which allows him to not be forced to be put on assistance. It is far too early to make any diagnosis. Given the fact that he was transferred to a burn unit, I’ll let you imagine the physical state in which Tahirys unfortunately finds himself.
Were you surprised to learn that he was spending New Year’s Eve in Crans-Montana?
As surprising as it may seem, I was not surprised this morning, for the simple reason that I had Tahirys on the phone yesterday, he was telling me how impatient he was to return to the pitch this Friday with FC Metz and that it was his last evening. I knew he was in Crans-Montana. This morning, when I saw the notifications on my phone about what had happened, I was immediately worried. I sent him a message which went unanswered. I then contacted his relatives. Unfortunately the news has been confirmed.
How was the day? Have you had contact with his club, FC Metz?
The day was particularly difficult. In such circumstances, you must try to reassure the parents even if the words may seem futile. Fortunately the management of FC Metz, which I had today, was of unspeakable class. I have been in football for 40 years, I have experienced a lot of situations and I must admit that the humanity of this club particularly touched me. I know that the exchanges which took place between Tahirys’ parents and the president or sports director of FC Metz were humane… well done to the leaders of FC Metz. Contrary to what many people may imagine, football is not just an environment of egocentrics and navel-gazers, it is also a very human environment.
Were his parents able to speak to him?
They (Tahirys and his parents) spoke very briefly at the end of the afternoon on the phone thanks to a German doctor who spoke French. Tahirys’ parents told me: the unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of the Sion hospital center were very responsive, very attentive. Their communication also allowed parents to “live better” with this situation.
What’s next for Tahirys? Will he be repatriated to France?
It is not excluded that he will have to undergo surgery this night which would consist of a transplant. It is still far too early to know more about what will happen.
Under what circumstances was he in Switzerland?
I knew that Tahirys was spending his vacation in Crans-Montana, he was staying with friends who own a chalet. On the morning of December 31, he called me to tell me that he was working hard physically, that the objective of the second part of the season was to permanently integrate the professional group, that he was doing everything necessary to come back in great shape. He is a 19-year-old boy, in the prime of his life, who had just made his first appearance in the pro group in the Coupe de France. Everything came together beautifully and it rewarded great professionalism on his part. There is a feeling of injustice.
Should we fear for the rest of our career?
When you see a young person cut down by such a tragedy, you say to yourself ‘why him?’ It’s way too early… I hope he doesn’t see his dream shattered. But the football side is not very important today. The important thing is that he regains his physical and moral integrity. I believe I know that beyond physical suffering, there is real psychological suffering. he experienced the tragedy.
Was he with relatives at the time of the tragedy?
He was not on the ground floor of the nightclub but on the first floor. Despite this, he had great difficulty leaving the establishment. His girlfriend too, just like his friends. The first thing he kept asking the doctors when he regained consciousness was ‘where are my friends?’ His girlfriend is also injured quite seriously and hospitalized.
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