Ivory Coast footballer Serge Aurier,
who plays for Paris St-Germain (PSG), has been sentenced to two months in jail
for elbowing a police officer. Aurier was also fined €600 (£521,
$674) in damages over the incident at a Paris nightclub in May. He will remain
free pending an appeal, which means he could play for PSG in the Champions
League on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was suspended
earlier this year over his comments about the then-PSG coach Laurent Blanc. Aurier
was convicted on Monday of elbowing a police officer after leaving a nightclub
in the early hours of 30 May.
The defender had been stopped to
take a breath test after leaving a Parisian nightclub. Serge was sent off after
a second yellow card during PSG's defeat by Toulouse on Friday, According to
the police account, the officer involved needed to take a day off work to
recover from his injuries. Aurier denied the charge, arguing
that he was a victim of police violence. In addition to paying damages, he
was charged a further €1,500 (£1,304; $1687) to cover court costs.
Serge in Ivory Coast Colours
The PSG defender has had a troubled
year. His suspension
from the Ligue 1 side in February came after he appeared to use
homophobic language to insult then-coach Laurent Blanc. He also called his
team-mate Angel di Maria a "clown" as he answered fan questions on
social media app Periscope. On Friday, he was sent off for a foul in the first
half of PSG's Ligue 1 match against Toulouse. Despite the sentencing, Aurier is
expected to be available for PSG's tie against Ludogorets in Bulgaria on
Wednesday.
Coach Laurent Blanc of PSG
Former Ivory Coast and Chelsea
striker Didier Drogba has however criticized Paris Saint-Germain's decision to suspend
compatriot Serge Aurier over homophobic comments made online.
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