Ivorian Footballer Sentenced to 2 Months in Jail

Prominent Ivorian footballer Serge Aurier, who plays for Paris St-Germain (PSG), has been sentenced to two months in prison, after he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer, according to the BBC.

When he was asked to take a breathalyzer test on May 30th, the 23-year-old Ivorian defender reportedly elbowed a police officer at a nightclub in Paris, France.

According to the prosecution, the police officer involved was forced to take a day off  of work to recover from the injuries.

Due to the incident, Aurier was ordered to pay a fine of 600 euros; however, Aurier has denied the charge, saying he was a victim of police brutality.

Controversial Career Abroad

It is not the first time the celebrated Ivorian footballer is finding himself on the wrong side of the law. He was recently suspended by PSG over his controversial comments about then-PSG coach Laurent Blanc.

In February, Aurier was seen in a video making homophobic comments about Blanc and several of his teammates, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Salvatore Sirigu, and Gregory Van der Wiel.

Aurier eventually owned up to the remarks despite his previous claims that he was not the man in the video.

“I will accept any sanction the club imposes on me regarding this incident. I made a mistake. It was unforgivable, and I am ready to face all the consequences,” he said.

Aurier also recently came under attack by a section of PSG fans for allegedly referring to his teammate Angel di Maria as a “clown” while answering questions from a fan on social media.

Community Service

Although the Ivorian footballer was handed a two-month jail term, he is expected to avoid going to prison since his “convertible” sentence allows him to do community service, according to the Guardian.

He has, however, promised to appeal against Monday’s ruling, because he claims he is innocent.

“We’re appealing. Mr. Aurier contests the findings. He’s not guilty and must be acquitted,” his lawyer, Claire Boutard de la Combe, said.

Aurier has been playing for PSG since 2014.