Wednesday 17 February 2016 23:01, UK
Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has criticised Paris Saint-Germain's decision to suspend compatriot Serge Aurier over homophobic comments made online.
Aurier, 23, was suspended indefinitely by PSG after a video emerged showing the Ivory Coast international aiming homophobic slurs at his manager Laurent Blanc, as well as abuse at team-mates Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Salvatore Sirigu and Gregory van der Wiel.
The former Lens and Toulouse defender initially denied that he was the man in the video but has since retracted his comments and made an apology through the club's own channel.
Aurier played no part in PSG's 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday and is likely to be suspended for the remainder of the season.
However, Drogba, who played alongside Aurier in the Ivory Coast national side, says the defender's suspension "achieves nothing".
"I don't often comment on these things but the way my little brother [Aurier] has been treated over the past few days has really upset me, so I feel the need to say something," Drogba said, in a statement released on Twitter.
"Yes, he made a mistake, yes, he said things he should not have said, but we have all made mistakes, players (myself included), coaches, managers, referees, club presidents, even the fans! Even the people who are saying he should be 'put in jail'…
"How can young players learn from their mistakes if they are not given proper support and advice? Should we not be educating younger players on how to behave, preparing them for a world where social media can make or break your career?
"Or shall we simply point the finger and ban some players and not others, which simply achieves nothing?"
