What did Patrice Evra say? Manchester United legend’s homophobic slur revealed after being convicted by Paris court
Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has been convicted by a Paris court for posting homophobic abuse online.
The former France international, who was also an integral star in Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side, remains an avid fan of the Red Devils. He is quite active on his Instagram account and frequently supports his side.
However, on March 6th, 2019, Patrice Evra took his celebrations too far. Manchester United were able to eliminate PSG from the UEFA Champions League following a last-minute Marcus Rashford penalty to win 3-1. This completed a memorable comeback for the Red Devils. In a video posted to Snapchat, Evra was heard celebrating and yelling:
"Paris, you are queers, you are queers! Here, it’s the men who talk."
Patrice Evra is convicted for posting homophobic abuse online - and fined £2,670 - over video where he shouted 'Paris, you are queers' after Man United beat PSG in 2019 trib.al/TAqKaCs
This caused public outrage across France. Mousse and Stop Homophobia, who are supported by the anti-homophobia collective Rouge Direct, filed a complaint for "public insult towards a group of people because of their sexual orientation".
The judge investigating the case reclassified it as a "non-public insult" and referred it to the Paris Police Court. The judge then decided that Patrice Evra had "expressed himself in a private setting for the making of a video which was later posted on Snapchat without his knowledge".
As a result, Evra was forced to pay a €1,000 (£890) fine and ordered to pay €2,000 (£1,780) compensation to the two anti-hate campaign groups today (February 9). He did not show up to the ruling in court though.
Following his conviction, Patrice Evra's lawyer, Etienne Deshoulieres, released a statement:
"The homophobic remarks of a personality like Patrice Evra fuel hatred and violence against LGBT people, in particular in countries where homosexuality is criminally repressed, like in Senegal, the country where Patrice Evra comes from."
Jerome Boursican, another lawyer for Evra, also said that said that his client had "not wanted to harm the homosexual community" and was instead just "aiming [insults] at PSG".
Evra retired from professional football in 2018 and currently lives in Dubai. He has played for top European clubs like Manchester United, Juventus, West Ham, and Marseille. He also has 81 caps for France.
Patrice Evra explains how Marcel Sabitzer will help Manchester United
Marcel Sabitzer joined Manchester United on loan from Bayern Munich during the January transfer window due to a lack of game time in Germany. He was brought in to replace the injured Christian Eriksen, and Patrice Evra believes the Austrian midfielder can regain his best form and help the Red Devils.
He revealed the two qualities that Sabitzer would bring to Old Trafford. He told Betfair:
"Even if he hasn't played in a United shirt, Marcel Sabitzer's work rate is quite impressive, he's got stamina and what I love about this player is he scores goals from outside of the box.
"He scored some great goals for Leipzig, and of course he's had less playing time at Bayern Munich and that's why we've got him but I'm sure Ten Hag will have studied the player, he'll know the player and sometimes those players need to rebound."
He added:
"So, for him to have an opportunity to rebound at a club like United, it's amazing. I don't know if the transfer was accelerated due to the injury of Eriksen, but he's a quality player. When you play for Manchester United, things are different but I can't wait to see him in action."
Sabitzer made his full debut for United in their 2-2 draw against Leeds, whom they will face again on February 12.