Remi Garde bemoans social media after Joleon Lescott's Twitter gaffe
Thursday 25 February 2016 12:15, UK
Aston Villa manager Remi Garde has spoken to Joleon Lescott about his social media gaffe and says players must be educated on its problems.
The Villa defender enraged fans by tweeting a picture of a top-of-the-range Mercedes just an hour after the 6-0 defeat to Liverpool 11 days ago.
Lescott apologised and insisted it was an accident after being bombarded by angry supporters on Twitter following their heaviest home defeat for 81 years.
Rock-bottom Villa go to Stoke on Saturday eight points from safety in the Premier League and Garde conceded Lescott's tweet did not help their cause.
He said: "Of course I had a discussion. He told me the same thing that he said to the press. He told me it was an accident. I have no reason not to believe Joleon.
"We were together speaking face to face. I believe what he said. I just said to him that I was not expecting from an experienced players, senior player, such an accident.
This is life, it is not only football. Social media can be helpful or the opposite, not only football but life in general.
"It was not really helpful for the team. If it's like an accident then you cannot say any more.
"Many years ago if you imagine the same situation 20 years ago, before social media, only two or three people involved in this situation. Now it is two or three million people.
"Saying that, social media is fully part of life now, especially in the young population. As a manager, as a club we have to educate them to be careful about the way they use it.
"This is life, it is not only football. Social media can be helpful or the opposite, not only football but life in general."
But despite not being a fan of social media Garde admitted clubs would not be able to ban players from it.
"I think it is a freedom for everybody. It would be very difficult to create a law for that and I'm not sure it would work," he said.
"I think in life in general we have to educate people to a lot of stuff, especially on social media, and that's all people are trying to do with all of this kind of stuff."
