Last week, Marseille defender Patrice Evra roundhoused one of his team’s fans in the face before a Europa League match and was suspended indefinitely by his club while they awaiting UEFA’s official punishment. That official punishment has now come down, and it will end Evra’s season and perhaps career.
UEFA announced today that they had hit Evra with a ban that prevents him from playing club soccer in Europe for the rest of the season. In response, Marseille announced that the club and Evra had mutually agreed to terminate the player’s contract with the team, seeing as it expired after this season anyway.
Evra will be 37 by the time next season rolls around. With his age and now the stigma that will certainly follow him after this incident, we might have seen the last of Evra on a professional pitch. It’s unfortunate such a great career might end like this, but it’s also not all that surprising that an old guy might not be able to get away with going all Liu Kang on a fan’s goddamn face.
[ESPN FC]