Wednesday evening, Serge Aurier was present on the lawn at the kick-off of the meeting between Newcastle and Tottenham, ended in a Spurs 3-1 victory. The Ivorian international, who was not always to his advantage (it was on a completely missed clearance on his part in the 56th minute that Ritchie equalized) had chosen to hold his place, just two days after the death of his younger brother, killed with a gun on the night of Sunday to Monday, in Toulouse. José Mourinho also wanted to salute the “very strong” character of the defender.
The former Paris SG player even played the 90 minutes of a necessarily special game for him. His teammates were keen to wear a black armband in tribute to his brother Christopher (26), a footballer too, but at the amateur level, at the fifth national level. And when he scored the first goal of the game, Korean striker Son Heung-Min warmly hugged his Ivorian teammate in support.
Aurier flew to France on Thursday
Present at St James Park at his request when his coach José Mourinho had given him the choice to play or take a few days of rest, Aurier could miss the last two matches of the season. According to the Evening Sandard , the international flew to France this Thursday to join his family and attend the funeral. No return date has yet been set. Tottenham will play two major matches with the hope of winning a European place, against Leicester, on Sunday, then at Crystal Palace a week later at the end of the season.
The investigation into the death of his brother continues. A man appeared Tuesday at the central police station in Toulouse to confess to the murder. He was placed in police custody. A love dispute is believed to be the source of the gunfire and the fatal assault that occurred outside the Kin's nightclub.
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