Paris Saint-Germain would have commissioned, between 2018 and 2020, a communication agency to create a ” army “ fake Twitter accounts to carry out digital raids against numerous targets hostile to the club, According to revelations from Mediapart posted Wednesday, October 12. According to the news site, which had access to a report by the company Digital Big Brother (DBB), controlled by the Franco-Tunisian businessman Lotfi Bel Hadj, these “trolls” had the mission of discrediting personalities , journalists and even team players.
Among the preferred targets of these fake accounts were, according to the report, “media deemed hostile to PSG as Mediapart and The Teamthe supporter slapped by Neymar [après la défaite du PSG en finale de la Coupe de France de 2019]the girl who accused the Brazilian star of rape, but also club personalities such as player Adrien Rabiot and former sporting director Antero Henrique”. Mediapart adds that “even icon Kylian Mbappé was scratched when he hinted he could leave the club in 2019”.
According to this DBB report, which takes stock of its activity on behalf of PSG for the 2018/2019 season, this digital army “was supervised by the PSG communication department, headed at the time by Jean-Martial Ribes”. The latter left the club in May for the communication department of a subsidiary of the luxury giant LVMH.
Protect Neymar’s reputation
Contacted by MediapartPSG claims to have “never contracted with an agency in order to harm individuals and institutions”. However, according to information on the site, “if there was indeed no contract with the club, it was PSG that paid for the digital influence services provided by Digital Big Brother”.
DBB’s strategy revolved around an account ” reference ““Paname Squad”, which presents itself on Twitter as a “collective of Paris Saint-Germain enthusiasts”and around which gravitate accounts “partners”responsible for amplifying these posts.
Mediapart explains that “Paname Squad” “has thus lobbied on strategic subjects, in particular by fighting against financial fair play (FPF), this rule of budgetary discipline enacted by the European Football Federation, which PSG has massively raped ». It’s necessary “blow up the FPF”writing in particular “Paname Squad”.
Another example: the“digital army” of the club has worked on several occasions to protect the reputation of Brazilian striker Neymar. “After the superstar slapped a Stade Rennes supporter, the Paname Squad account published the full identity of the victim and tried to pass him off as an offender”details Mediapart. Moreover, when an ex-girlfriend of the player accused him of rape (the investigation was finally dismissed), the trolls undertook to smear the reputation of the complainant.
The news site adds that the most frequent attacks from these accounts are against the media, with two priority targets, Mediapart and The Team : “At the end of 2018, the “digital army” launched a special operation against Mediapartrenamed “Mediapartouze”, to counter the revelations of the second season Football Leaks”.