Andy Pelmard's crazy night in Lecce, chase and arrest. What happened

Lecce, 19 December 2024 – Driving licence withdrawn, arrest and exclusion from the first team squad. It ended in the worst possible way for the Giallorossi defender Andy Pelmard, the Christmas dinner organized by Lecce Calcio on December 17th.

At the end of the evening, the French defender born in 2000, on loan from Clermont, after accompanying some players, began to drive dangerously on the streets on board his SUV, even travelling in the wrong direction and above all not stopping at a checkpoint. The police, suspicious of his behavior and the foreign license plate, started a chase which ended with the arrest of the footballer.

Some teammates, the president Saverio Sticchi Damiani and the team manager Claudio Vino intervened on the spot. Pelmard, who does not speak Italian, was accompanied to the police station by some comrades who facilitated the translation with the police. Pelmard was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting a public official, for not having stopped at a police checkpoint. Charges were later formalized at the police station, where the footballer was taken by the officers who stopped him, only to be released a few hours later.

With a Harsh press release from the Lecce Sports Union has condemned the player's behavior, excluding him with immediate effect from the first team roster, pending further investigations into the incident. "US Lecce, in light of the events that occurred yesterday evening - reads the note released by the Giallorossi club - firmly condemns the behavior of its player Andy Pelmard, as it does not comply with the behavioral guidelines dictated by the club. US Lecce - continues the note -, pending the appropriate investigations into what happened, has ordered the immediate exclusion of the player from the first team roster and will evaluate the disciplinary relevance of the conduct, reserving the right to adopt further appropriate measures which will be communicated at a later date".