Former Ivory Coast captain Serge Aurier has revisited one of the most controversial episodes of his career, offering a scripted apology to former Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc a decade after publicly insulting him.
Aurier made the apology during an appearance on the Canal+ programme Détective Mathoux, where he read a prepared message expressing regret over the incident that led to his suspension by the French club in 2016.
The Ivorian defender’s actions at the time caused a major controversy after he appeared in a live Periscope broadcast in which he insulted several PSG team-mates and Blanc, who was then in charge of the team.
The episode prompted the club to suspend Aurier, who was also sent to train with the reserves following the fallout.
Ten years later, the former Ivory Coast international has used the television appearance to address the incident and express remorse for his comments.
Reading from the prepared text, Aurier said: “Dear coach, if you only knew how sorry I am. Ten years have passed, and I can’t stop thinking about you. I didn’t mean a word of it. (…) Let’s talk about it over coffee. I invite you, I insist. Please, coach, forgive me,”
The apology revisits a damaging moment in the defender’s career, when his comments about members of the PSG squad and the coaching staff became public during the livestream.
During the 2016 broadcast, Aurier also claimed that Blanc was controlled by Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who was playing for PSG at the time.
The incident led to immediate disciplinary action from the club, putting Aurier at the centre of a controversy that attracted considerable attention in French football.
For Aurier, who went on to represent Ivory Coast at international level, the televised apology offers an opportunity to reflect on an episode that continues to be associated with his time in Paris.
