The appeal in cassation of Tony Vairelles and three of his brothers “will focus mainly on the problem of the reasonable time” of judgment, said lawyer Frédéric Berna to AFP, confirming information from France Bleu. “My clients have always said they weren’t guilty. So even if the decision is extremely favorable if they fired, insofar as they said they never did, we will go to the end of the process, ”added Me Berna. The 50-year-old former Blues striker was tried in early July for violence in a meeting with premeditation and with a weapon in the company of three of his brothers for having shot at the security guards of a nightclub in Essay-les-Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) in October 2011. He was sentenced on July 6 to 36 months in prison, including 18 suspended, a sentence reduced by half compared to the first instance where he had been sentenced to three years farm. This penalty is flexible.
His brother Fabrice was sentenced to the same sentence, his two younger brothers Giovan and Jimmy having been sentenced to 18 months in prison, 12 of which were suspended. They too will be able to arrange the firm part of their sentence. “We are a little disappointed because I know that I have never shot anyone,” regretted Tony Vairelles at the end of the hearing. Imprisoned in pre-trial detention for five months at the start of the investigation, the ex-footballer has always claimed his innocence as well as that of his brothers.
The guards claimed for their part to have identified Tony Vairelles as the shooter. Three security guards were also sentenced: one to six months suspended sentence and two to eight months suspended sentence for the violence on the two youngest Vairelles brothers. Tony Vairelles, famous for his “mule cut”, was selected eight times for the French team between 1998 and 2000.
