Johan Goosen officially out of retirement

Former Springbok utility back Johan Goosen is officially out of retirement.

Goosen‚ 25‚ retired suddenly at the end of 2016 in anger at not being released from his contract at French club Racing 92‚ so that he could join Montpellier.

He supposedly took up a position of ‘commercial director’ at South African-based company unrelated to rugby‚ which was a loophole in French law that allowed him to be unshackled from his contract.

But on Monday the Cheetahs confirmed that the Bloemfontein-based Goosen would be training with their PRO 14 squad until the end of June when he would join Montpellier.

“The ex-Cheetah and Springbok flyhalf‚ Johan Goosen has chosen to train with the Toyota Cheetahs to find his feet and get his game back on track before joining the French rugby club‚ Montpellier‚” the Cheetahs statement read.

“Goosen will be training with the Cheetahs until the end of June and can be selected for the team if he is on form.

“It is a big compliment for Free State Rugby that he has chosen to train here and for the trust he has in the coaches and conditioning team.

"Free State Rugby welcomes Johan back in Bloemfontein where he learned to play rugby.”

In January 2017 it was reported in France that Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti wanted a one million euro transfer fee‚ which no clubs were willing to pay.

After Goosen engineered a way out of the contract year Racing warned that he might face criminal charges for his conduct.

“The open-ended employment contract produced by Johan Goosen and signed by one of his friends and business associates appears to constitute a phoney document‚” the club said in a statement.

“Full light must be shed on the responsibility of the various people who advised Johan Goosen in taking this aberrant and fraudulent strategy.”