Jonathan Clauss issues Instagram statement over interview backlash

OGC Nice Defender Jonathan Clauss Issues Instagram Statement Over Interview Backlash

OGC Nice defender Jonathan Clauss released a statement on Instagram following widespread social media backlash over an interview he gave to L’Équipe Explore. The 34-year-old footballer faced intense criticism after an excerpt concerning an infidelity went viral on the platform X, prompting the media outlet to pull the interview down entirely.

Misrepresentation in the Documentary Foot et Sexe

Clauss addressed the controversy directly on his Instagram account, explaining that the final cut of the documentary—broadcast under the title “Foot et Sexe”—diverged significantly from what he and his wife were initially promised. According to the defender, the project was pitched to them as an exploration of opportunistic relationships in professional football, using their own history as a positive counter-example.

“When we agreed to participate in this documentary, the project presented to us aimed to highlight sometimes self-interested relationships in the football world, taking our story in particular as a counter-example,” Clauss stated in his online post. Instead, the resulting broadcast left the couple feeling entirely alienated from the chosen editorial angle.

An Anecdote From Over Eight Years Ago

The viral reaction centered on a specific anecdote regarding infidelity. Clauss clarified that the story in question referred to an event from more than eight years ago, long before his current relationship began. He criticized the decision to strip the comments of their proper timeline and context.

“Concerning the anecdote that sparked so many reactions, I want to be very clear: it concerned a period of my life prior to our relationship, more than eight years ago,” Clauss wrote. “Taken out of context, it gave rise to completely false interpretations and in no way referred to infidelity within our couple.”

Defense of Family and Reputation

“I refuse to let a few seconds of an interview distort years of life together and call into question the values on which we built our relationship,” Clauss said. “My wife deserves respect, and certainly not to be reduced to the clichés that too often accompany the status of a footballer’s wife.”