Gael Givet Says His Stay at Evian Was Cut Short Because of His 'Jihadist' Beard

Former Blackburn and Monaco man Gael Givet has hit out at French club Evian over their treatment of him during his brief spell with the club in 2014.

In an interview with Le Parisien (via Eurosport), Givet claims he was cut loose because he refused to shave his beard, which the club said made the former French international look like a "jihadist."

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"Three days before my first game [for Evian], I was called into the president’s office for something that seemed crazy and that had nothing to do with football," he said.

"I was completely disgusted. The problem was that I let my beard grow. At Evian, they wanted to force me to shave because it was too long.

"At 33, you cannot treat me this way. They took me for a jihadist, while I haven’t even converted to Islam."

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The club has yet to address the allegations.

[Le Parisien, Eurosport]