French club Racing 92 announced on their website on Friday that Springbok utility back Johan Goosen has made a shock decision to retire from all rugby with immediate effect.
Goosen, 24, featured for Allister Coetzee’s Bok team in 2016 at fullback and flyhalf, and was recently voted as the French Top 14 Player of the Season after excelling at outside centre for the Parisian outfit.
But Racing 92 said that Goosen – who has 13 Test caps – has quit the game to become a “commercial director” of a company in South Africa, with club boss Jacky Lorenzetti threatening to “conduct all appropriate legal actions towards both Johan Goosen and those who advise him”.
Goosen recently extended his deal with Racing to 2020.
“We regret that such an obviously talented young player is misguided and declares to abandon professional rugby as it seems obvious that the role of commercial director is incompatible with high-level sport,” Racing 92 stated.
“We wish to add that the Racing 92 has always strongly supported Johan Goosen, both morally and financially. We hope it quickly becomes aware that compliance with a contract like that of a given word is the basis of all human and professional relationships.”