PSG’s Aurier sentenced over police assault

Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier was sentenced to two months in jail by a court in Paris on Monday for assaulting a police officer.

But the 23-year-old will not serve any time in prison as he is appealing his sentence, which was less than one year.

The Cote d’Ivoire international was later included in PSG coach Unai Emery’s squad for Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Ludogorets in Bulgaria.

The incident occurred on May 30 outside a Paris nightclub when Aurier was arrested and placed in custody.

The court heard that the troubled footballer refused to cooperate when asked to leave his tinted-glass Porsche Cayenne which police claimed was incorrectly parkedoutsidetheclubinthe early hours in an upmarket district of the French capital.

Police said the situation turned violent when an agitated Aurier elbowed one of the officers in the chest, causing him to have to take a day off work.

“The driver got out of the car straight away and apologized but the front passenger (Aurier) refused to show his hands,” the policeman told the court.

He said he had to grab Aurier to make him exit the car, at which point the player elbowed him.

Aurier denied the charge and was allowed to leave the court.

“The club takes note of his condemnation. An appeal has been lodged at the end of the hearing by the player’s lawyer,”saidaPSGstatement.

“Serge Aurier will continue to benefit from the presumption of innocence ahead of the appeal court’s decision.”

Aurier later took to Twitter to express his “confidence in justice” and that he would await “the appeal ... to express myself again”.

The player, who has had recent disciplinary problems with his club, rejected the police account of the incident and said he was the victim of violence.

Given his lack of remorse, the court went beyond the prosecutor’s request for a sentence of two months suspended or with community service. The sentence took into account Aurier’s four previous convictions for driving without a licence.