According to the investigation, Paris Saint-Germain sought to discredit personalities, journalists, and even players of the team between 2018 and 2020
According to the online newspaper Mediapart, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) commissioned a communication agency to create fake Twitter accounts between 2018 and 2020 to launch hostile campaigns against enemies of the club.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) commissioned a communication agency between 2018 and 2020 to create fake Twitter accounts to launch hostile campaigns against enemies of the club, revealed the Mediapart investigative portal.
According to this online newspaper, which publishes a report by the company Digital Big Brother (DBB), based in Barcelona and controlled by the Franco-Tunisian businessman Lotfi Bel Had, this agency created "an army of trolls" at the service of the club owned by Qatar to discredit personalities, journalists, and even players of the team.
Among the targets, according to the report, were "hostile media to PSG such as Mediapart and L'Equipe, the fan attacked by Neymar (after PSG's defeat in the final of the French Cup in 2019), the young woman who accused the Brazilian star of rape, but also the team's player Adrien Rabiot and the former sports director Antero Henrique."
Mediapart indicated that Parisian star Kylian Mbappé was also "tainted".
According to the DBB report consulted by Mediapart, the digital army at the service of the capital club "was overseen by the PSG communication department, directed at that time by Jean-Martial Ribes". The latter left the club in May to join the communication department of a subsidiary of the luxury giant LVMH.
The strategy of the army revolved around a "reference" account, Paname Squad, which presented itself on Twitter "as a collective of PSG enthusiasts".
Contacted by AFP, PSG "completely denied Mediapart's allegations".
"PSG is an international brand that constantly works with social media agencies worldwide to promote and celebrate the achievements of the club, its collaborators, and its partners, like all companies. The club has never hired an agency to harm anyone," they added.
A source familiar with the agreement confirmed to AFP that PSG did contact the DBB company, but rejects any request for attack by the club against players or personalities. AFP