Fenerbahçe Club Announces Departure of French Volleyball Star Earvin Ngapeth
Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365: published on Monday, 30 March 2026, at 5:53 pm
Fenerbahçe Club announced the departure, by mutual agreement, of French volleyball star Earvin Ngapeth, who will play in Tours for the next two seasons. Reports of disciplinary issues have been raised by the Turkish press.
He arrived at Fenerbahçe in December 2024 from Poitiers, where he had a dream start to the season thanks to the double Olympic champion. But Earvin Ngapeth is leaving Turkey. The Istanbul club announced on Monday, through a short statement, the departure by mutual agreement of the 35-year-old receiver-attacker, whose contract was until 30 June. The regular season of the Turkish championship ended eight days ago, with Fenerbahçe finishing sixth and not qualifying for the semi-finals. The Istanbul club, also eliminated three weeks ago in the CEV Cup quarter-finals, will, however, play in the Turkish Cup semi-finals, where they are the defending champions, against Galatasaray, their arch-rivals. But it will be without Earvin Ngapeth.
Disciplinary Problems?
The Turkish media reports disciplinary issues as the reason for his departure. The French volleyball player was allegedly caught with a cigarette in hand. A former Fenerbahçe official told a club news specialist, Hodri Meydan: “Ngapeth is very talented, he may even be the best spiker of all time. He had serious disciplinary problems, and it required strong leadership to address them. As a manager, if you do not penalize his tardiness and undisciplined behavior – despite all 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. Ultimately, you are forced to terminate his contract before an important cup match against Galatasaray. I really don’t know what else to say!”
Meeting in June with the Blues
Earvin Ngapeth is unlikely to play before the upcoming opportunities with the French national team, if selected: the Nations League starting from 10 June and the European Championships in September. He will then return to his original club, Tours, where he signed in February for the next seasons.
