Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé (24) has been criticised by his own manager, Luis Enrique, as well as Eric Roy for making an obscene gesture as he was substituted late-on against Stade Brestois.
Mbappé netted a brace at the Stade Francis Le Blé on Sunday as PSG narrowly beat a valiant Brest side. Les Parisiens looked to be sauntering towards victory. Warren Zaïre-Emery opened the scoring with a long-range effort before Mbappé doubled PSG’s advantage soon after. However, Steve Mounié then halved the deficit before Jérémy Le Douaron restored parity.
The match looked to be heading towards a draw, however, PSG were awarded a late penalty. Despite missing the initial spot-kick, he netted the rebound. Mbappé then made an obscene hand gesture towards the Brest fans, who had accused close friend Achraf Hakimi of being a “rapist” throughout the encounter. The Moroccan international has been charged with rape and is under formal investigation. Hakimi denies the accusations.
Mbappé received a yellow card for the gesture and continued to gesture to the home fans as he was replaced following his late goal. Mbappé was criticised by journalist Bertrand Latour, who took to X to say that “a France captain should never do that.” Mbappé responded, stating: “Oh, well of course I should have sang with them whilst they insulted my teammate. Some people have really never set foot on a pitch, no matter the level.”
Hugo Magnetti accuses Mbappé of a ‘lack of class’
Speaking post-match, both sets of managers were critical of Mbappé. “I won’t name names, but I found the attitude of some Parisians ridiculous. You’ve won the match, you don’t need to add to that. When you’re away from home, you get heckled, and we have a healthy atmosphere here. There are plenty of stadiums where things could have generated,” said Brest manager Roy in an interview transcribed by L’Équipe. He added, “I was a bit surprised by his reaction because I found it ridiculous. He should be above all of that.”
Luis Enrique was also critical, adding, “I don’t like these kinds of things. It’s better to try and enjoy the moment. One must try and give off a positive energy.”
Mbappé’s gesture also didn’t sit well with Brest midfielder Hugo Magnetti, who accused the France captain of having a “lack of class.”
“It’s a bit of lack of class on Mbappé’s part to tease the stadium. It’s not like anyone died, but these are little things that annoy you. I’ll tell him that he shouldn’t have done that. I hope they’ll have the courage to do that against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich,” said Magnetti.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
