PSG's Marco Verratti Arrested for Drink-Driving, Fined by Club
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti was arrested on Tuesday for driving under the influence, as a test during a traffic stop revealed he had twice the legal amount of alcohol in his blood.ย
L'Equipe (h/tย AS)ย reported the news and noted the 25-year-old is likely to face a lengthy driving ban. Per AS, PSG have released a statement in which they said the player has also been fined:ย "Under the rules applicable to the contracts of all our players,ย Marco Verratti will be deprived of a portion of his monthly ethics bonus, which obliges all PSG players to exercise exemplary behaviourย under all circumstances with regard to the statutes of the club."
The arrest happened on Tuesday but PSG didn't publish their statement until Friday. Per the report, the midfielder was released shortly after the arrest, so he could still face Lille in Ligue 1 play on Friday.
As shared by ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson,ย in their statement,ย the club said Verratti has apologisedย :
Verratti has been a regular for PSG this season with six starts in Ligue 1 and two in the UEFA Champions league. He didn't face Liverpool due to a suspension.
The former Pescara man and Italy international ranks among the club's most important players because there's no real replacement in the squad. PSG lack depth in the central areas and there's no one in the squad who can replicate his unique blend of defensive effort and passing prowess.
Against the Reds manager Thomas Tuchel opted to play centre-back Marquinhos in midfield as a replacement, and the results were disappointing.ย
It's unknown whether Verratti will miss any time as a result of his arrest. Tuchel hasn't been afraid to drop players for disciplinary reasons, doing so with Kylian Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot in October, perย MailOnline'sย Patrick Boyland.
The duo missed out on the fixture against hated rivals Marseille known asย Le Classique. It's one of the biggest matches of the year for PSG, so if Tuchel is willing to take such risks in that outing, it would't be a surprise to see him punish Verratti against Lille in similar fashion.
