International sports media have reported that the Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, has been denounced by a former employee on allegations of “undeclared labor.” The complaint was lodged with the Versailles prosecutor’s office, bringing forth serious accusations against the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star.
The EU defines undeclared labor as “any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature, but not declared to public authorities, taking into account differences in the regulatory systems of the Member States.”
The accuser claims to have worked as an assistant to Navas without a formal salary or registration with Social Security. Despite the schedule of up to 90 hours a week, the former employee was paid 3,200 euros per month in cash. According to the allegations, Navas preferred to have his employee operate under his personal rules rather than adhering to French labor laws.
The complaint reveals details of the working conditions. The former employee alleges that Navas required him to carry a weapon, which the footballer himself used recreationally in his garden. The employee was reportedly housed in a damp, windowless basement during his 20-month tenure from September 2019, working under a verbal agreement as an assistant and maintenance staff.
A video recorded by the former employee shows Navas saying “We don’t work under French law here” and “No French contract, I pay you in cash, we work according to my rules” when the worker requested to regularize his situation, as reported by Stéphane Sellami, Naoufel El Khaouafi, and Nicolas Couet.
The legal representative of the complainant, Me Yassine Yakouti, has expressed grave concerns about the nature of the allegations. “We are on the border of criminal law with facts that, for my part, can be considered bordering on modern slavery,” he said.
The former employee claims that Navas had initially promised him an employment contract, a promise that was never fulfilled. Additionally, the hiring was reportedly conditional on the employee being armed, requiring him to possess a shooting license and store a category C shotgun at Navas’ residence.
“Even if you’re a soccer star, you don’t have the right to be free of all the rules,” added the lawyer.
