They probably thought they were making a joke, but they sparked a controversy that Paris Saint-Germain would have done well without, especially after the summer heat wave. Asked about the possibility of seeing the PSG change its mode of transport for its travels, Christophe Galtier saw fit to be humorous. “I suspected that we were going to have this question. This morning, we discussed with the company that organizes our travels, we see if we can not travel in a sand yacht ». An answer that made the interested party laugh, Kylian Mbappé, as well as some journalists present in the auditorium of the Parc des Princes.
Unfortunately for the Parisian coach, it did not take long to see the reactions fuse. President of the French sand yachting federation, Christophe Roger responded fairly lightly to Galtier’s exit. “I am pleased to announce to him that the French sand yachting federation that you can go to Nantes from Paris in a sand yacht. It takes just nine hours, a well-oriented and constant wind. It really costs less. Between €100 and €150 you can go land yachting, with a carbon footprint equal to 0. More seriously, if the PSG team, starting with Kylian Mbappé, wishes to come and do land yachting, the French federation will have the pleasure of inviting them to come and have a discovery session »he declared at the microphone ofEurope 1. But not everyone wanted to respond with such lightness.
The political world is outraged
Starting with Amélie Oudéa-Castera, the Minister of Sports. “Mr. Galtier, you have accustomed us to more relevant and responsible answers – are we talking about it? » she replied laconically on her Twitter account. Later, it was the director general of the NGO Greenpeace France, Jean-François Julliard, who was moved by the response of the red and blue coach in the columns of the Parisian. “It’s distressing. I am a football fan and I thought that some coaches like Christophe Galtier were above the fray. This is a symptom that shows that the subject of the impact of sport on the environment is not taken into account, that there is no reflection, and even less action in this area. (…) A club like PSG, which is also watched and admired, can be a precursor by having more sober travel, because many young people follow the sport and be influenced. (…) I would like him to come back to his remarks and ensure that his club also contributes to the collective effort in terms of ecology, whether it is with different modes of travel, that players raise awareness… There can be plenty of ways. Why would PSG players make less effort than others? »
Mr. Galtier, you have accustomed us to more relevant and more responsible answers – are we talking about it? @PSG_inside @CBeaune #Sobriety #Mbappe #Galtier #psg #TGV https://t.co/gzmcjI4N8J
— Amelie Oudea-Castera (@AOC1978) September 5, 2022
Finally, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, also did not fail to tackle the representatives of the flagship club of her city. “No, but it’s okay to answer stuff like that???? Wake up guys??? This is Paris », she got annoyed on Twitter. Ditto with the ecologist MEP Karima Delli. “Unacceptable reaction from PSG to criticism of their use of private jets. They don’t even pretend to care about global warming or the future of our societies…” Faced with this media surge, especially from the political world (very fond of the controversies of the world of football), PSG has already informed the main interested parties that it did not appreciate this episode at allbefore sending his messages. The Parisian indeed explains that the PSG has indeed been discussing with the SNCF for months to try to find a solution.
No, but it’s not okay to answer stuff like that???? Wake up guys??? This is Paris @PSG_inside @PierreRabadan @egregoire @David_Belliard https://t.co/wnZi7vMJyA
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 5, 2022
Unacceptable reaction from @PSG_inside in the face of criticism over their use of private jets.
They don’t even pretend to care about global warming or the future of our societies… ????♂️@KMbappe https://t.co/5AHXuUpbMX
– Karima Delli (@KarimaDelli) September 5, 2022
