The backlash comes as footballers and the industry more widely are forced to consider their contribution to global emissions.
(Bloomberg) — Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and head coach Christophe Galtier have come under fire for laughing off a question about why the team took a private jet for a short trip less than 400 kilometers away.
The furore comes as football’s climate change impact is coming more into focus as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, later this year, has already been criticized for failing to live up to promises to reduce its carbon footprint.
Mbappe and Galtier burst out laughing after they were asked about the Qatar-owned club’s private jet use during a press conference ahead of a Champions League match with Juventus on Tuesday.
“Pardon me,” Galtier responded as he struggled to stifle his laughter. “To be honest, this morning we have spoken with the company that organizes our trips to look into whether we can go by sand-yacht.”
Earlier this week, teammate Lionel Messi was criticized for using private air travel by nonprofit Attac France. “From June to August, Messi took 52 flights with his private jet, or 1,502 tonnes of CO2,” the organization tweeted. “That’s as much as a French person in 150 years.”
The use of private jets has become a heated topic as flight tracking sites draw attention to the trips made by high-profile jet owners. A single private jet can emit as much CO2 in an hour as an average person in the EU in nearly three months, according to campaign group Transport & Environment.
The question specifically concerned the PSG’s private jet trip to Nantes, France over the weekend.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire slammed the coach’s response, calling it “inappropriate.” “I think this was the wrong moment to burst out laughing,” he told French channel BFMTV.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo quote-tweeted a video of the press conference, saying “It’s not on to answer stuff like that???? Wake up guys???”
Meanwhile, some clubs are using the popularity of the game to promote climate awareness. English football club Reading F.C. has been sporting new stripes on the sleeves of their home kit, showing a data visualization of global warming.
The flights carrying not only teams but also supporters add to the carbon footprint of big events. Nonprofit Carbon Market Watch said the 2022 World Cup’s carbon neutral claim is “simply not credible.”
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