Kylian Mbappe and PSG boss Christophe Galtier lashed out for laughing off a question about why the team had made the 239-mile journey to Nantes by plane… as French politicians told them to amid concerns over the “waking up” to climate change.
- Mbappe and Galtier were asked about their trip to Nantes for Sunday’s game
- The force flew to Nantes instead of taking the two-hour high-speed train
- Galtier gave a wry reply, replying with a mockery of “sandyachts”.
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also criticized the PSG duo on Twitter
Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and manager Christophe Galtier have been slammed after laughing at suggestions the team should travel by train instead of private jets for short-haul games.
Mbappe and Galtier have come under fire from senior politicians in France after they poked fun at a reporter’s question as to why the force flew to Nantes on a private plane instead of taking the train.
Nantes is 239 miles from Paris and the French capital is accessible from the city by a two-hour high-speed train.
After being questioned on the short flight, Mbappe burst out laughing while Galtier responded with a mockery of “sandyachts”.
“This morning we talked about it with the company that organizes our trips and we are looking into traveling on sand yachts,” Galtier said.
Mbappe was also asked for his opinion but said he had none on the matter while still laughing at the initial question.
Kylian Mbappe laughs after being asked if the PSG squad will travel to Nantes by plane
Mbappe once burst out laughing, a reaction criticized by French politicians
PSG boss Christophe Galtier gave an ironic answer when asked about the travel plans
Her derisive response drew the ire of figures such as Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. “It’s not your place to reply to stuff like that???? wake up guys??? This is Paris,” Hidalgo said on Twitter.
The French sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, also got involved. “Mr Galtier, we have become accustomed to more relevant and responsible responses from you. Shall we talk about it?’
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire slammed Mbappe for laughing and lashed out at Galtier’s “inappropriate” ironic response.
“I adore Mbappe and it can happen to all of us that we burst out laughing at the wrong moment,” Le Maire told BFM-TV.
“And I think that was the wrong moment to burst out laughing.”
“We all need to take climate change seriously. It’s serious, it’s about our planet and our ability to live on that planet.’
A PSG source told the RMC sports channel that Galtier and the PSG side take climate change seriously, while Le Parisien newspaper said the team doesn’t see train travel as a viable option due to safety concerns and problems with late-night train travel.
Football clubs have often been criticized by activists for using private jets to travel to matches instead of more environmentally friendly public transport.
Lionel Messi has also come under fire for his use of public jets since arriving at PSG
Earlier this week, PSG’s Lionel Messi was pilloried for his use of private air travel. “From June to August, Messi performed 52 flights in his private jet, equivalent to 1,502 tons of CO2 emissions,” pressure group Attac said.
“That’s as much as a single Frenchman would be responsible for in 150 years.”
In 2015 Arsenal were slammed after they traveled from London Luton, a distance of 103 miles, to Norwich for a Premier League game.
The flight took 14 minutes – three minutes less than driving from Norwich Airport to Carrow Road.
