PSG coach Galtier sorry for ‘joke in bad taste’
Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier on Tuesday apologised for mocking a question about his club’s decision to travel to a game by private jet, saying he had made “a joke in bad taste”.
“Believe me when I say I am concerned about climate change and about our planet. I am aware of the responsibility we have,” Galtier told Canal Plus after PSG beat Juventus 2-1 in the Champions League.
“It was a badly timed joke in bad taste and I regret it.”
“It wasn’t the right time. It was a poor quality joke at a bad moment,” he added, insisting that PSG are “aware of the importance of climate change issues”.
Galtier and Mbappe were asked at a press conference on Monday whether they had discussed an offer from the French state railway group SNCF to provide travel for them to away games.
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe and #PSG manager Christophe Galtier have been slammed after they laughed off suggestions the team should travel by train instead of private jets for short-distance matches.
Galtier,"We're looking into travelling on sand yachts"👀#Ligue1pic.twitter.com/DbmAB2XoRP
— Noxwin (@noxwin12) September 6, 2022
Galtier initially smirked at the idea while Mbappe bent double in laughter over the suggestion — with the clip quickly going viral on social media.
“We had a chat with our travel organisers earlier to see if we can travel by sand-yacht,” Galtier replied sarcastically, referring to sail-powered beach buggies that are popular on some French beaches.
The trip in question was to the western city of Nantes, which can be reached in two hours by train.