Christophe Galtier's joke that got France up in arms: "I'm sorry"
The French manager and his star striker Kylian Mbappé were asked about a very serious issue and his joke landed them on hot water
Christophe Galtier and Kylian Mbappé couldn't stop laughing. In the press conference prior to the match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Juventus for the Champions League (which Parisians won 2-1), the coach and the star of the French team couldn't hold their laughter after one of the questions they faced. What did they ask them? Well, about of climate change, that which has been worrying much of Europe for a long time.
Alain Kraskovitch, director of the French state railway company SNCF, suggested at a press conference that the team travel by train more often on short trips, since it is more ecologically friendly in the face of climate change. This aroused immediate laughter from Mbappé and Galtier, with the manager answering ironically: "Excuse me, I was afraid we were going to have this question. To be honest, this morning we have spoken with the company that organizes our trips, we are looking if we can travel by yatch".
This response, which many felt was disrespectful, earned Mbappé and Galtier very harsh comments . The French Minister of Economy and Finance of France, Bruno Le Maire, a self-confessed admirer of Mbappé, criticized him: "It was the most inopportune moment to laugh. I think we all have to take climate change seriously".
After the game, seeing the negative repercussion that his phrase had, Galtier felt the need to apologize: "Obviously, this wasn't the time to say those words. I'm sorry. It was a joke of poor quality", he admitted. Of course I am concerned about the climate problem and I am aware of our responsibility." However, he complained about how his words were taken: "We are aware of climate challenges. Again, I'm sorry for this joke, but in France you can't do humor".