Patrice Evra posts bizarre video after French courts sentence former Man United star to suspended sentence

Patrice Evra shared a video on Instagram in response to being given a suspended sentence for abandoning his family.

The former Manchester United star was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay his wife €4,000 in damages and a further €2,000 in legal fees.

He received a suspended sentence for failing to pay his ex-wife almost a million pounds in maintenance.

On social media, Evra appeared to mock the reports by dancing around a fenced-in basketball court while handcuffed.

The caption of the video read: “I have to put this nonsense to an end: look how much fun I had in prison,” along with three crying, laughing emojis.

He then used #IloveThisGame and #Freedom.

According to reports from France, judges ruled that the 43-year-old had effectively “abandoned” 42-year-old Sandra Evra and her two children between May 1, 2021, and September 28, 2023.

After years of attempts to reduce the sentence, Evra’s lawyers immediately appealed Tuesday’s verdict.

Nathalie Dubois, Ms Evra’s lawyer, 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 as they met at the age of 15 and she followed him around the world to support his football career.”

Jérôme Boursican, Mr Evra’s representative, insisted to Le Parisien that his client “disputes the facts”.

Mr Boursican said: ‘Mr Patrice Evra appealed despite knowing that he had provided his wife with an apartment and a house with a swimming pool in the south of France and had lent her almost two million euros for her living expenses.

“A sum that she does not want to pay back and that is the reason for this process.”

Evra began his career in France and made his breakthrough at Monaco before moving to Manchester United in 2006.

The left-back made 379 appearances and helped the Red Devils to five Premier League titles, three League Cups and one Champions League title before moving to Juventus in 2014.