Neymar, Marquinhos and Navas, during a match at the Parc des Princes in February 2021. -
FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos were robbed at the same time on Sunday night during PSG-Nantes.
Soccer players are particularly targeted by experienced gangs who know how to operate.
Clubs and players themselves are organizing to deal with these intrusions, but no one has found the silver bullet.
It should not be easy to live in the shoes of a commissioner of the BRB (brigade of repression of banditry) of the regional direction of the judicial police (DRPJ) of Paris.
No sooner is a band of burglars specializing in break-in theft from Parisian players sent to the hole, when another has to be dealt with within the hour.
Thus, if the so-called “Chat” gang, anchored in the Goutte d'Or district, has just been referred to the court two years after having robbed the homes of Thiago Silva and Eric Choupo-Moting, at least one Arsène Lupine's other team seems to have taken over.
However, the gang of the "Cat" is no longer rife
Angel Di Maria is indeed the third Parisian player living near Neuilly to be visited on a match night since January, after Mauro Icardi and Sergio Rico.
Concerning Marquinhos, who does not live in the same place, the investigation, carried out by the PJ of Versailles seems to accredit according to
L'Equipe
the thesis of a home error, the player living just next to the house burgled on Sunday evening, in presence of his father and his sisters.
If the estimate of the material damage may vary - according to information from
20 Minutes
, the "somewhat extravagant" figures put forward in connection with the burglary of Di Maria (500,000 euros) have yet to be confirmed - the psychological impact on the players concerned and their cloakroom colleagues should not be overlooked.
PSG has also gone to great lengths without delay, announcing to its players to take charge of "human surveillance" for the entire workforce in the coming weeks.
Gift from the house, like after the 2015 bombings, when some foreign executives (except Zlatan) worried about their safety and requested a bodyguard / individual surveillance agent within a minute.
"We educate our players for matches and vacations"
Other L1 clubs, also familiar with home jacking since fashion was born in Marseille in the 2010s, are less generous.
"We do not have the same concerns as the big clubs," explains a director of security for a historic club in the championship.
Nevertheless, we raise awareness among our players for the matches and before they go on vacation: sound the alarm, warn the neighbors or give the keys to people you trust ”.
And above all, above all, do not share information on social networks like "Youhou!"
great weekend in Marrakech in perspective, can't wait ”.
"It's a bit fashionable," sighs a police source.
Their wives show off their luxury watches on social media, and the players can be tracked out of training by criminals who can spot where they live.
"
An elementary precaution that Wesley Lautoa and his companion had followed well before leaving for a family weekend in early March.
Missed.
The Dijon defender has become the fifth player on his team to suffer a robbery in less than a year.
The Championship's red lantern has other things to do right now, but she recognizes a form of helplessness under the cloak.
“We stopped giving the green in the planning of the week, we blow internally, but during the matches, the players are easy prey.
When there is a move, we take the plane the day before.
Okay, the guys who do that know how it works.
"
The security guard, not necessarily a miracle solution
Players who want close protection are encouraged to take charge.
The more experienced usually go through a luxury concierge, where a wedding-planner of life is responsible for reassuring them.
“This is a major demand from our customers, not just athletes,” confirms Jérémy Vosse, founder of “Premium conciergerie”.
Often times this is to be quiet at big birthday parties, where there are a lot of cute cars to steal, but in some clubs or areas it can be a year round security guard, for example. a dog handler responsible for making rounds and entering the accommodation regularly through a back door to check that all is well.
"
In Paris, where a majority of the workforce had preferred to end the experience in 2016 when the club had communicated that it would no longer pay the bills itself, they are at least four to have organized on their side .
Neymar, Mbappé… Di Maria and Marquinhos.
The Parisian captain's house, located right next to his father's, had already been the subject of an attempted intrusion in January 2020, an attempt aborted by the sounding of an alarm and the timely intervention of a security agent.
Angel Di Maria had already been the victim of a burglary in Manchester, in 2015. - FRANCK FIFE / AFP
But the episode of Sunday evening shows the limits of such a device, since Di Maria also benefits from a surveillance which was of no help to him this time.
The club, which already advises its recruits on surveillance systems (cameras and alarms) upon their arrival in the capital, will also have to rethink another basic instruction, that of always leaving a loved one at home in his absence, in particular on game nights.
Di Maria, a future at stake in Paris?
A precaution that does not stop the burglars, who according to our information did not hesitate to molest Marquinhos' father by hitting him on the sides to receive valuables.
Angel Di Maria's wife and two children have not experienced such a mishap, as they have heard nothing from the ground floor of their large apartment, but Pochettino will have to show a lot of empathy with his compatriot.
El Fideo had already suffered a traumatic intrusion into his Mancunian home in 2015, and the episode had helped to confirm his departure.
Impossible today, when the player has just extended his contract in Paris.
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Ligue 1: PSG will take care of the protection of its players after the burglaries of Di Maria and Marquinhos
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PSG: A burglary but "no violence" at Angel Di Maria's home
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