Drogba leaps to defence of Aurier

Didier Drogba has jumped to the defence of suspended Paris Saint-Germain full-back Serge Aurier.

Aurier was banned from the PSG squad for the Champions League last-16 clash with Chelsea on Tuesday after he appeared to make derogatory remarks about head coach Laurent Blanc and team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a video posted on social media.

Blanc described the 22-year-old’s conduct as “pathetic” and warned of further punishment from the club, despite the full-back apologising for the incident, while figures in French football including Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier have slammed the player’s conduct.

Yet Drogba, who lifted the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast alongside Aurier last year, says there should be less finger-pointing and more done to educate young players about the dangers of social media.

#justiceadeuxvitesses @Serge_aurier pic.twitter.com/14s24n9ptQ

— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) February 17, 2016

“I don’t often comment on these things but the way my little brother Serge Aurier has been treated over the past few days has really upset me so I feel the need to say something,” the Montreal Impact striker wrote in a message posted via his own Twitter account.

“Yes he made a mistake, yes he said things he should not have said, but we have all made mistakes, players [myself included], coaches, managers, referees, club presidents, even the fans! Even the people saying he should be “put in jail”…

“How can young players learn from their mistakes if they are not given the proper support and advice? Should we not be educating younger players on how to behave, preparing them for a world where social media can make or break your career?

“Or are we simply pointing the fingers and banning some players but not others? Which simply achieves nothing…”