Paris Saint-Germain full-back Serge Aurier has revealed that he could have left the club in the wake of his suspension for criticising his manager on social media were it not for the club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Aurier, 23, was ordered to train with the reserves for three weeks in February after making disparaging remarks about PSG boss Laurent Blanc and several of the club's players during a Periscope session earlier the same month.
Al-Khelaifi also demanded that the Ivory Coast right-back apologise publicly before he was eventually allowed to return to the first team after a meeting with Blanc.
Speaking for the first time about the events, Aurier told clique.tv that Al-Khelaifi's continued support was key to him staying with the French champions.
"I did it for my president because I'm well aware that he considers me like his son," Aurier said of his apology.
"If I really want to stay at PSG, it's for him -- if it only depended on me, I would have already left."
In the 31-minute interview, Aurier also insisted that he did not fully realise what Periscope was when he recorded the video that landed him in trouble with the club's hierarchy.
He defended some of the language he had used when discussing Blanc and his teammates but also praised his manager's handling of the controversy.
"I think that with this story, he was really calm," Aurier said of Blanc.
"He didn't follow what everyone was saying. He took a step back."
Aurier also said it was important to recognise that Blanc and his family would have been hurt by the scandal.
"I apologised because I understand that he has a family," the ex-Toulouse player said.
"I think his children are maybe the same age as me as well," he added.
"They also use social media and to go on social networks and to hear your father talked about in that manner is difficult all the same."