Christophe Galtier's 'sarcastic' response to a question about climate change has been criticised.
The 56-year-old, who was appointed PSG manager in July following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, was joined by Kylian Mbappe at Monday's press conference ahead of their Champions League clash against Juventus.
In said press conference, a reporter asked whether the club should consider train trips to help fight climate change.
Le mépris du coach du PSG Christophe Galtier
— Paul Larrouturou (@PaulLarrouturou) September 5, 2022
Et le long rire de @KMbappe
Quand @LCI #toutestpol leur demande une réaction au patron des TGV qui leur propose un train privatisé plutôt qu’un jet privé pour faire Paris-Nantes.
RDV demain, 11h, sur la 26#Mbappe #Galtier #lti pic.twitter.com/7LsMpM6QMI
As you can see in the footage above, Galtier looks at Mbappe after the question was asked and the French forward proceeds to burst into laughter.
After an awkward few seconds, the PSG manager finally responded. “I thought I would get that question," he said via Get French Football News.
"To be very honest with you, this morning we spoke with the company that organises our trips, and we’re trying to see if we can travel by sand yacht.”
The reporter's question related to PSG's decision to travel for their Ligue 1 game against Nantes on Saturday by plane, despite a train journey from Paris to the French city taking just two hours.
A video posted on Marco Verratti's Instagram story of Neymar and Marquinhos during the trip to Nantes received backlash online.
One fan commented on the clip, saying: "You mean a lot to your supporters, and your example has a big impact. For this trip, why not take the train, which is much less harmful than a plane? Climate catastrophe is on the way, help."
Bonne ambiance dans l’avion direction Nantes. 😂 #FCNPSG pic.twitter.com/SlvDXc0ZbS
— PSG COMMUNITY (@psgcommunity_) September 3, 2022
Petite partie de Parchis entre habitués. 😎🎲 pic.twitter.com/FyDTNdDnxC
— PSG COMMUNITY (@psgcommunity_) September 3, 2022
Galtier's reaction in the press conference, meanwhile, has been criticised by public figures, including French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
She wrote on Twitter: “M. Galtier, we’re used to more relevant and responsible answers from you – shall we speak about this?”.
Anne Hidalgo, who is the major of Paris, also hit out at the response. "No, but it's not okay to answer stuff like that???? Wake up guys??? This is Paris."
M.Galtier, vous nous avez habitués à des réponses plus pertinentes et plus responsables - on en parle ? @PSG_inside @CBeaune #Sobriété #Mbappe #Galtier #psg #TGV https://t.co/gzmcjI4N8J
— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) September 5, 2022
Not a great look, this - Galtier and Mbappé laughing out loud when asked a serious question about whether the club should really be flying by private jet between Paris and Nantes rather than taking the train. Galtier replies that they’re considering land-sailing to their next one https://t.co/ttsnHHU1mY
— Chris Peilow (@cjpeilow) September 5, 2022
Last year, Manchester United made headlines when they flew to Leicester, a journey of roughly 100 miles with an estimated flying time of around 10 minutes.
In contrast, climate-conscious Ajax opted to take the train from the Netherlands to France for a Champions League game against Lille in 2019.
The club's chief executive Edwin van der Sar explained "we live in a climate-conscious time and we want to set a good example as a club."
PSG will face Juventus on Tuesday night in their opening Group H clash.
Featured Image Credit: L'Equipe
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Champions League, Juventus
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