Evra sentenced for homophobic chants, one of the reasons - he is from Senegal?

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra is convicted for posting homophobic abuse online. Senegal born player was given a criminal conviction and was fined 1000 euros and ordered to pay 2000 euros compensation to two anti-hate campaign groups - Stop Homophobia and Mousse. Both groups filed a complaint for ‘public insult towards a group of people because of their sexual orientation’ after he posted a video on Snapchat saying ‘Paris, you are queers, you are queers’.

The incident happened back in 2019, when PSG and Manchester United were playing in the Champions League and former Red Devil went overboard with his support. He also added ‘Here, it’s the men who talk’, alleging that his old club was more macho than PSG. The investigating judge in the case reclassified the complaint to ‘non-public insult’ and referred the case to the Paris Police Court.

'There are at least two gay players per club'

Evra was not present in court, but it was said that he had ‘expressed himself in a private setting for the making of a video which was later posted on Snapchat without his knowledge’. Complainants’ lawyer Etienne Deshoulieres released a statement after the sentence:

“The homophobic remarks of a personality like Patrice Evra fuel hatred and violence against LGBT people, in particular in countries where homosexuality is criminally repressed, like in Senegal, the country where Patrice Evra comes from’. Evra’s lawyer Jerome Boursican, said his client had “not wanted to harm the homosexual community and was instead just ‘aiming insults at PSG’. The lawyer also said that Evra published an apology video the day after the offending one was broadcast.

Evra's admission - It becomes politics, I should have chosen Senegal

Evra was born in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and then moved to Paris as a young child. He choose to represent France as a footballer, a move he regretted later.

“When I was young my parents gave me the choice to pick my national team, and growing up in France I picked France. But I understand later, it's really important to pick your own country, because it becomes politics. When you win you are a French player, when you lose you are a Senaglese player” he said back in September.