How PSG ordered an army of trolls to destroy media and footballers


Alexander Schmid

October 13, 2022 at 5:45 p.m.

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Kylian Mbappe © © Kylian Mbappe / Twitter

© Kylian Mbappé / Twitter

The PSG would have orchestrated a propaganda campaign on Twitter thanks to an army of trolls, raised by a communication agency.

Mediapart published a damning investigation into the practices of Paris Saint-Germain, which would have used the services of an external agency whose mission was to create a “digital army” of trolls. These were responsible for defending the club’s reputation on social networks and attacking its detractors.

Mbappé and Rabiot targeted

PSG would thus have used a multitude of fake Twitter accounts, some of which have become very influential, to serve its interests. It was the company Digital Big Brother, registered in Barcelona, ​​which implemented the strategy of the Parisian club. According to the 50-page report obtained by Mediapart, this company acted as an executor, but it was the PSG communication department that supervised the operations. At the time of the facts, between 2018 and 2020, Jean-Martial Ribes, one of the closest collaborators of Nasser al-Khelaïfi, the president and CEO of the Paris Saint-Germain omnisports club, was at its head.

Kylian Mbappé was one of the targets of this campaign when, in March 2019, rumors emerged of a potential move to Real Madrid. He was then scratched a few months later following his speech for the winner of the Ligue 1 best player trophy, during which he raised the possibility of leaving the club. ” The Parisian supporters love you very much, you know that… Did you get your “message” across tonight, and what timing!? If you could press like that on the pitch… “, publishes in particular an account listing thousands of followers.

More virulent attacks targeted Adrien Rabiot and his mother Véronique, when the midfielder left PSG free to join Juventus Turin. ” Big PDF », « Dirty traitor », « Child of p***** », « He doesn’t have the balls to release his mother who dictates everything to him and sends his career into the wall “: here is an anthology of messages published by PSG troll accounts.

The Neymar cases

PSG is also accused of having launched a secret digital attack against a young Stade Rennais supporter who had received a slap from Neymar in the final of the Coupe de France. The victim then suffered a violent cyberbullying campaign to which the PSG would have largely contributed, under cover of false accounts, by revealing his identity on Twitter and calling him a criminal. Always to protect Neymar, these accounts tried to smear the reputation of a young woman accusing the Brazilian player of rape.

Mediapart also claims that PSG’s army of trolls served to denigrate the media which did not go along with the club, starting with Mediapart himself and The Team.

Paris Saint-Germain reacted by indicating that “ the club has never contracted with an agency in order to harm individuals and institutions “. A clever choice of words, underlines Mediapart, because the PSG and Digital Big Brother would indeed never have signed a contract, to remain discreet…

Source : Mediapart



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