PSG condemns Patrice Evra for anti-gay slurs aimed at club
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain has condemned anti-gay insults aimed at the club by former France and Manchester United captain Patrice Evra in an online video.
In the video posted Monday on social networks, Evra and another man are in the back seat of a car when they respond to an online user's views on PSG. United knocked PSG out of the Champions League earlier this month, winning 3-1 in Paris — a game which Evra attended — after losing 2-0 at home.
When responding to the online user, Evra tells him "this is Manchester. Stop going off on one (about PSG) and validating teams who will never win anything." At this point Evra is heard clearly making two anti-gay slurs about PSG, before curtly adding "we're men speaking here."
In a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press, PSG said:
"Paris Saint-Germain condemns Patrice Evra's homophobic insults aimed at the club, its representatives and its former players in a video released yesterday on social media. These remarks profoundly shocked the club, which is particularly committed to the values of respect and inclusiveness."
When further commenting on PSG's defeat, Evra mentions how PSG lost to an injury-hit side that included several youngsters.
"We (Manchester United) played with the D team, the D team! Not even C (and) we sorted you out," said Evra, who then made further derogatory comments. "Hey, kids were playing (for United), the ones who used to clean my boots."
PSG said it had informed United of Evra's words. United declined comment on the posts because Evra no longer plays for the club.
The 37-year-old Frenchman played for three-time European champion United nearly 400 times from 2006-14. He captained the club on several occasions.
He was also named France captain at the 2010 World Cup but was stripped of the captaincy during the tournament after the team went on strike at training.
In the moments following PSG's defeat on March 6, Evra posted a video on social networks goading the club's exit, and then made a similarly mocking one soon after, in which he laughed at PSG for criticizing his initial behavior. He also threatened to slap former PSG winger Jerome Rothen — his former teammate at Monaco — after Rothen publicly criticized Evra's attitude.
Evra repeated his threat to "slap" Rothen in Tuesday's video.