Not just Mbappe! PSG SUED by 'outraged and angry' second former player

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Mar 2025 13:53 GMT
4 min read

Adrien Rabiot and his mother and agent Veronique are taking legal action against PSG and their supporters after Sunday's Le Classique.

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Rabiot joined Olympique de Marseille in September as a free agent after leaving Juventus in the summer. The transfer certainly raised eyebrows as the 29-year-old previously spent nine years on the books at PSG.

The rivalry between the two French giants is one of the most heated in European football. The violence and vitriol that Le Classique usually entails between the two fanbases have led to French authorities flat-out banning away supporters from games in recent years.

On Sunday, PSG ran out comfortable 3-1 victors in Paris. Rabiot and his outspoken mother and agent Veronique unwittingly became the protagonists of the evening as they were targeted with abhorrent abuse from fans of his former club.

One banner notably read: "Loyalty for men, betrayal for wh***s – like mother, like son.” Another stated: "We're waiting for you and your son. You're going to get the treatment you deserve, and his father will turn in his grave."

In addition to offensive banners, PSG supporters have also been accused of homophobic chanting. Rabiot later took to social media to slam the perpetrators - and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

“Insulting a mother and a dead father – you pay for everything someday," the midfielder wrote. "You will not go to heaven, trust me. Nasser," he added, "you can have all of the money in the world, even more, but you can’t buy class."

Rabiot's mother to press charges

Speaking after the match, mother Veronique vowed to press charges against PSG and the club's supporters, which would be further legal trouble for the reigning French champions.

PSG also remain embroiled in a legal battle with former superstar Kylian Mbappe over unpaid bonuses in his final season. The Parisians argue that he damaged the club by leaving on a free transfer and therefore should not receive the money he is owed.

As for Rabiot, his mother has now reiterated in an interview with L'Equipe that she is exploring all possible avenues to see the culprits punished. "I'm not hurt, I'm outraged and angry. As for Adrien, everything is fine, he remains calm. But we can't let such comments go," she began.

"I can't tell you against whom [we will take legal action] yet because we're talking to lawyers, and I don't want to say just anything. But any complaints I can file, I will file them."

Asked whether PSG bear responsibility for the actions of their supporters, she firmly responded in the affirmative. "Obviously! Do you think we can bring in banners of this size without anyone knowing?

"Don't tell me the clubs aren't aware. They know perfectly well there are banners. They just have to ask to see them. And then, when they came out, I don't get the impression that the stewards rushed to have them removed.

"I once smoked in a stadium: someone immediately came to ask me to put out my cigarette. Everyone had been warned that in the event of homophobic chants, the match would be stopped. But it wasn't. There's a double standard.

"I think there's a fear of PSG, a fear of the Qataris, of Nasser al-Khelaifi. There are too many financial stakes. And when it comes to PSG, everyone dodges the issue."