Kurzawa video footage 'taken out of context' - agent

 Footage of Paris Saint-Germain and France defender Layvin Kurzawa criticising national coach Didier Deschamps -- and which led to a blackmail plot against him -- was "taken completely out of context", according to his agent.

"Layvin was the victim a few weeks ago of an extortion attempt based on an extract from a video filmed with a mobile phone at his home and containing elements that were taken completely out of context," he said in a statement to AFP.

The agent said neither nor he nor his client would discuss the matter further due to "the private character of this affair".

Four men aged between 25 and 30 were arrested and charged with the foiled attempt to blackmail Kurzawa for 200,000 euros ($239,000) during the summer.

The PSG player was filmed on a mobile phone in a shisha bar in Paris with the footage falling into the hands of the gang.

A source disclosed that the video contained footage of Kurzawa, 25, making "uncalled for gestures aimed at the France national manager".

Left-back Kurzawa, who moved to PSG from Monaco in 2015, has won nine caps for France, including in their two most recent World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

He will find out on September 28 if Deschamps includes him in the France squad for qualifiers against Bulgaria away and Belarus at home next month.

Kurzawa is the second France player to be targeted in a blackmail plot after the Mathieu Valbuena sex-tape scandal implicating France strikers Djibril Cisse and Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.

source: AFP