Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that the Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier had been suspended indefinitely by the club after he appeared in an expletive-laden video insulting the manager, Laurent Blanc, as well as using homophobic language.
Aurier, who has been a regular for the club this season, recorded the video himself using the online app Periscope. In it, he freely insults Blanc, as well as team-mates Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gregory van der Wiel.
The French media reported yesterday morning that Aurier was “excluded from training with the squad” as a result, but by the evening, the club had seemingly decided to increase the severity of his punishment. He will now miss the club’s forthcoming Champions League clash against Chelsea.
"I have taken the decision to suspend Serge Aurier. Paris Saint-Germain is a very strong institution that cannot be harmed by anybody," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in a club statement.
"I will not let anybody put the club in danger and divert us from our objectives, starting with the game against Chelsea that our supporters are really looking forward to.
"All the energy of the club, the players, the coach and his staff, is focused on this huge match for us and our fans."
Aurier, 23, initially claimed that the video was faked but later apologised for his behaviour in a pre-recorded statement. “I have made a mistake and I want to apologise,” he said. “Particularly to the coach, who wanted me here. Things have been going very well and I owe him a lot. I am unforgivable.”
Aurier’s behaviour also got him in trouble last season, when he blasted a Champions League referee as a “dirty son of a b***h” in a video on Facebook, and was banned by Uefa for three matches.
- Telegraph