Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has reportedly been convicted for posting homophobic abuse following a Red Devils game a few years ago.
The Frenchman, regarded as one of the stars of some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s finest teams, remains a big Man Utd supporter in his post-playing career, but it seems he at one point used offensive language when celebrating a win in 2019.
It is not entirely clear what Evra said or if the post is still up, but talkSPORT report that the 41-year-old has been convicted, being fined €1000 (£890) and also made to pay €2000 (£1780) to anti-hate charities, as ruled by a Parisian court today.
The complainants’ lawyer, Etienne Deshoulieres, released a statement saying: “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.”
While Evra generally seems like a fun character off the pitch and has shown his big personality on social media, it’s clear that discriminatory language of this nature cannot be tolerated.
One just has to hope Evra learns from the experience and doesn’t commit similar offences again.