French footballer to SUE Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine

Cameron Smith

• 26 Apr 2024 17:40 BST
• 4 min read

Former France U20 international Francois-Xavier Fumu Tamuzo is taking legal action against Pfizer and the French Football Federation.

The ex-Auxerre winger has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons and he believes the COVID-19 vaccine is the reason why.

Tamuzo, who currently plays for Ligue 2 club Stade Lavallois, has announced that he will be retiring from professional football when his contract expires this summer, with his injuries cited as the main cause for this decision.

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The 29-year-old has made just 13 appearances for Stade Lavallois since arriving in 2021 after suffering multiple separate injury problems.

However, he reportedly believes there is a link between the COVID-19 vaccine and his recent troubles.

According to France Bleu, Tamuzo is suing Pfizer-Germany and BioNTech as the designers of the vaccine, Pfizer-France as the supplier and the French Football Federation. The hearing will reportedly take place on 2 July at the Paris Judicial Court.

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As per the report, Tamuzo was first vaccinated with a Pfizer dose in July 2021, while he received a second vaccination just one month later. This coincided with the start of his injury problems, the Frenchman has revealed.

He suffered from a left knee injury that summer and was then struck down with a tendon problem in October. In March 2022, Tamuzo ruptured his Achilles shortly after receiving a third COVID-19 vaccine dose.

What has been said?

"The long walk is barely bearable, jogging is impossible for me,” Tamuzo told France Bleu. “When I want to start up, for example to go up the stairs or up a shelf or even down the stairs, the pain is severe.

“I would like to understand why my body stopped functioning,” he admitted.

Tamuzo’s lawyer, Eric Lanzarone, added: “For two years, my client has been in medical wondering and no one has cast any doubt on the adverse effects of the vaccine. While we know that they exist today, no one can deny it. And gradually as these concerns grew, Francois-Xavier went to consult internal medicine specialists who eventually expressed this doubt.

“At the time Francois-Xavier was vaccinated, vaccination was not compulsory. It will later become compulsory for professional footballers. I consider that the FFF has a responsibility in this story as she built a health protocol even before the introduction of a law.”

Tamuzo is reportedly asking for financial compensation to cover his early retirement from football.