The ex-partner of Lilian Thuram has filed a complaint of domestic violence against the most capped player in French football history.
Karine Le Marchand, a 45-year-old television presenter, registered the complaint with police in the upmarket 16th district of Paris on September 4, police sources said Saturday. Guadeloupe-born Thuram, 41, was a defender for Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona and was one of the heroes of France’s World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998.
He went on to win a total of 142 caps, and his image as a particularly humble and articulate footballer has made him hugely popular with the French public. Thuram has a reputation for espousing social causes, having established his own anti-racism foundation and campaigned on issues including the rights of illegal immigrants and, most recently, gay marriage.