Kylian Mbappe and PSG boss Christophe Galtier slammed for mocking question on air travel

Kylian Mbappe and PSG boss Christophe Galtier slammed for laughing off a question about why the team made the 239-mile journey to Nantes by plane… as French politicians tell them to ‘wake up’ amid climate change concerns

  • Mbappe and Galtier were asked about their journey to Nantes for Sunday’s game
  • The squad flew to Nantes instead of taking the two-hour high-speed train
  • Galtier gave an ironic response and replied with a jibe about ‘sand yachts’
  • Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was among those to criticise the PSG duo on Twitter 

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and 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.

Mbappe and Galtier have come under fire from high-ranking politicians in France after they mocked a question from a reporter about why the squad flew to Nantes on a private plane rather than 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 they were quizzed on the short plane journey, Mbappe burst out laughing, while Galtier responded with a jibe about ‘sand yachts’.

‘This morning we talked about it with the company which organises our trips and we’re looking into travelling on sand yachts,’ Galtier said.

Mbappe was also asked for his views but said he did not have any on the matter, while still laughing at the initial question. 

Kylian Mbappe laughs after being asked about the PSG squad travelling to Nantes by plane

Kylian Mbappe laughs after being asked about the PSG squad travelling to Nantes by plane

Mbappe was at one point beside himself with laughter, a response criticised by French politicians

Mbappe was at one point beside himself with laughter, a response criticised by French politicians

PSG boss Christophe Galtier gave an ironic response when questioned about the travel plans

Their mocking response drew the ire of the likes of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. ”It’s not on to answer stuff like that???? Wake up guys??? This is Paris,’ Hidalgo said on Twitter.

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera also weighed in. ‘Mr Galtier – we have become accustomed to more relevant and more responsible answers from you. Shall we talk about it?’

Economy minister Bruno Le Maire criticised Mbappe for laughing and hit 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 this was the wrong moment to burst out laughing.’

‘We must all take climate change seriously. It is serious, it is about our planet and about our ability to live on this planet.’

A PSG source told RMC sports channel that Galtier and the PSG squad do take climate change seriously, while Le Parisien newspaper said the team did not see rail travel as a viable option due to security concerns and problems of travelling by train at night. 

Football clubs have often been criticised by campaigners for taking private jets to matches instead of more environmentally-friendly public transport.

Lionel Messi has also come under fire for his use of public jets since his arrival at PSG

Lionel Messi has also come under fire for his use of public jets since his arrival at PSG

Earlier this week, PSG’s Lionel Messi was pilloried for for his use of private air travel. ‘From June to August, Messi made 52 flights with his private jet, amounting to 1,502 tons of CO2 emissions,’ pressure group Attac said. 

‘That’s as much as a single French person would be responsible for in 150 years.’

In 2015, Arsenal were slammed after they travelled to Norwich from London Luton, a distance of 103 miles, for a Premier League game.

The flight took 14 minutes – three minutes less than the journey from Norwich Airport to Carrow Road by car.

source: dailymail.co.uk