October 13 – Paris Saint-Germain and Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier has been praised for saving the life an opponent during a World Cup qualifier last weekend.
Mali’s Moussa Doumbia was reported to have suffered an epileptic fit after being knocked unconscious in an innocent challenge and Aurier intervened to stop Doumbia swallowing his tongue.
Mali’s manager Alain Giresse spoke to Aurier after the game to thank him for his “superb reactions”.
Ivory Coast went on to win 3-1. “All the players realised that Doumbia was choking and was about to swallow his tongue,” Giresse told French radio. “That’s when Aurier, with one of our players, quickly put him on his side and pulled out his tongue, because he was about to lose his life.”
But there was also a negative side to the unpredictable Aurier’s behaviour. According to French reports, he later caused controversy by making a throat-slit gesture towards the crowd after his team’s second goal.
In September, Aurier was sentenced to two months in jail for elbowing a police officer, but remains free pending an appeal. And in February, he was suspended by PSG after appearing to use homophobic language to insult then-coach Laurent Blanc.
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