Patrice Evra has shared a video to Instagram in response to being handed a suspended prison sentence for abandoning his family.
The former Manchester United star was handed 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, while also being ordered to pay his wife €4,000 for moral damages and a further €2,000 in legal costs.
He was handed the suspended prison sentence for failing to pay close to £1million in alimony to his ex-wife.
Taking to social media, Evra appeared to make fun of the reports by dancing around in a caged basketball court with handcuffs on.
The video was captioned: “Let me shutdown this rubbish news : look how much I enjoyed myself in prison,” with three crying laughing emojis.
He then used #Ilovethisgame and #freedom.
According to reports in France, judges ruled that the 43-year-old had effectively “abandoned” Sandra Evra, 42, and their two children between May 1, 2021 and September 28, 2023.
Evra’s lawyers immediately appealed Tuesday’s verdict following years of mitigation.
Nathalie Dubois, Ms Evra’s barrister, said: “I hope that, thanks to this decision, Patrice Evra will finally understand that he is not above the law and that we cannot abandon our wife and children overnight.
“Even more so when they met at the age of 15 and she followed him all over the world to support his football career.”
Jérôme Boursican, for Mr Evra, insisted to Le Parisien that “the facts are disputed” by his client.
Mr Boursican said: “Mr. Patrice Evra appealed, knowing that he provided his wife with an apartment, a house with a swimming pool in the south of France and that he lent her almost two million euros for her daily life.
“A sum that she refuses to return, and this is the reason for this trial.”
Evra started his career in France and broke through with Monaco before joining Manchester United in 2006.
As well as making 379 appearances, the left back helped the Red Devils to five Premier League titles, three League Cups and a Champions League title before joining Juventus in 2014.