In a club documentary, AS Saint-Étienne’s Congolese international defender Kévin Pedro has spoken about the abuse he received on social media after a heavy pre-season defeat to Grenoble.
In the AS Saint-Étienne documentary “Un jour avec Kévin Pedro”, relayed by OneFootball/Peuple-Vert.fr, the Congolese defender looks back on a painful period. After a heavy pre-season defeat to Grenoble at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, which came after Les Verts’ promotion back to Ligue 1, he was targeted with abuse on social media.
The account, also picked up by OneFootball/Morning Foot, is that of a player who explains that at the time he did not know the world of football and social media. The documentary thus gives the defender a voice on an episode that remained on the margins of the season.
“At the time, it was hard”
Kévin Pedro discusses those messages without beating around the bush. “I didn’t really know football or social media. At the time, it was hard. Because in truth, the messages, they stay,” he confides in the club documentary, quoted by OneFootball/Peuple-Vert.fr.
In the same documentary, picked up by OneFootball/Morning Foot, he describes himself this way: “I’m a simple person, I’m like you. I don’t overthink things.”
A centre-back pairing with Le Cardinal
On the pitch, Kévin Pedro started in the heart of the Saint-Étienne defence. According to Butfootballclub.fr, he played alongside Julien Le Cardinal in the 2-0 win over Laval in Ligue 2.
ASSE have led Ligue 2 since the start of the 2026-2027 season, according to Butfootballclub.fr. The abuse mentioned by the defender followed a pre-season match, not an official fixture.
An international break with a depleted squad
Kévin Pedro is one of ten players called up by their national teams during the international break, Butfootballclub.fr notes. The Congolese defender is therefore absent from ASSE, along with Sohaib Naïr (Algeria), Mamour Ndiaye (Senegal) and Augustine Boakye (Ghana).
These absences have immediate consequences: head coach Ian Cathro has called up youngsters from the academy for the seventh round of the Coupe de France against Rumilly-Vallières, scheduled for Sunday 15 November 2026 at 3pm at the Parc des Sports d’Annecy.
After the break, AS Saint-Étienne will resume their Ligue 2 campaign with matches against Reims and then Nancy.