Former Arsenal footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and PSG star Bradley Barcola belong to a high-profile figures that are dragged into a row after the death of a French streamer.
Raphael Graven, better known online as Jean Pormanove, was found dead on Monday in a house in Contes, a village north of Nice.
He was a prominent figure on Kick – a streaming platform similar to Twitch, where people broadcast live video to an audience that can comment and donate money in real time.
It was claimed that Graven, 46, was subjected to horrible online challenges with humiliation, violence and dangerous stunts before his death. Earlier streams reportedly saw graves beaten, strangled, forced, immersed in unpleasant liquids and focused on a paintball gun by influencers Owen Cenazandotti, 26 and Safine Hamadi, 23.
In his native France, it was claimed that he had died after 'ten days of torture', lack of sleep and intake of poisonous products'.
Content makers who reportedly abused a French streamer on the camera before he died during a live stream received more than £ 31,000 from viewers who encouraged his abuse.
The French newspaper liberation revealed on Thursday that football players Aubameyang and Barcola were among those who were shown in the stream.
Marseille striker Aubameyang appeared in the 237th hour of the broadcast – two days before the death of Graven – and said, “Okay JP and Coudoux, turn on your brain, because now we have to finish the game.”
Barcola appeared seconds later and said: 'Hey guys, great strength for the challenge. We are all with you, we know you can do it. JP and Coudoux, set the alarm, because things are really bad now. '
It is unclear when videos from Aubameyang and Barcola, which were used to encourage people to donate, were filmed.
Representatives of Barcola have since told the French newspaper L'Equipe that he was not part of the live stream and expressed his condolences in the evening.
“Bradley understands and shares the emotion caused by the death of Raphaël Graven,” said his representatives. “He was one of the first to respond publicly when he heard of the tragedy. It should be noted that he was in no way live that evening.
“The video that circulates and in which he appears was recorded a few weeks earlier.”
Aubameyang still has to comment publicly.
The French world cup winner Adil Rami has also been emphasized after he was filmed to give advice to Coudoux for fighting with graves in March 2024.
'Adil Rami wants to point out that he was never a spectator or actor in the content and the platform that was targeted today, nor he promotes it. It would not involve in any way, and even more in such a context, would be unacceptable, “Rami's lawyer told L'Equipe.
'Dedicated to the values ​​of respect and kindness, Adil Rami had a special affection for Mr. Raphael Graven. Touched by his sensitivity and personality, he had the privilege to meet him and share moments of joy with him around their shared passion for video games
'His thoughts are going to Mr. Graven and his family, to whom he sends his sincere condolences. “
Public Prosecutor Damien Martinelli revealed that medical researchers believed that the death of graves was “not traumatic originally” and “not related to the intervention of a third party.” He said that forensic doctors had not found “internal or external traumatic injuries” or burns – just a few bruises and healed lesions.
“The likely causes of death seem to be medical and/or toxicological,” he said.
He said that further tests had been ordered, and that digging may have had a heart problem in addition to receiving treatment for a problem with his thyroid gland.
It was previously assumed that Graven had died during a live broadcast in his sleep, according to what friends described as ruthless 'humiliation flows'.
The Canadian rapper Drake reportedly removed his kick account after he had offered to pay for the funeral of Graven.
De Ster plans to cover funeral costs, together with internet personality and online streamer Adin Ross, who has 6.7 million followers on Instagram.
Internet users said that the live stream, which was then shared on a large scale, digged it was immobile under a covering.
A fundraising on the video suggested that the group had collected more than £ 31,000.
One of the two men in the room with him, Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi, known under pseudonyms Naruto and Safine, threw a plastic water bottle in his direction.
Naruto and Safine were already interviewed by the police in January by a separate investigation into claims that they abused vulnerable people in online events to generate payments from viewers.
Australian Platform Kick said that all co-streamers of the platform involved in the event were banned on Wednesday pending the outcome of the investigation.
It also said that it also had a 'full re -evaluation' of his French content.
The platform is seen as less strict user terms than that of the rival, the well-known Twitch streaming service.
The police had interrogated witnesses and seized evidence, including videos, said Damien Martinelli public prosecutor in a statement.
“Various interviews with people who are present at the time of his death were held without giving leads about its causes,” said Martinelli, adding that the autopsy would be performed on Thursday.
“The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he suffered are an absolute horror,” said Clara Chappaz, the French minister of Junior for Digital Affairs.
Civil servants insisted that 'nothing suspected' had still been identified, but shocking claims from local media claim that graves lack sleep, extreme violence and intake of toxic substances before the tragedy.
A few days before his death, Graves sent a heartbreaking last message to his mother to say that he had the feeling that he was 'hostage' and admitted that he was fed up with the controversial streams that had become his trademark.
Talking about the issue, the Graven family said that what he went through was in the run -up to his death was “unacceptable.”
In conversation with RTL after the tragedy, the mother of the Stamer described him as a boy 'with a big heart' and said he had a second family who lived in Nice.
“He had brothers in Metz, but he found brothers in Nice, he was a family, he was invited everywhere,” she told the media company.
And his sister now believes that he died because of exhaustion because she says that his death is 'unbearable'.
“I was very, very proud of what my brother became,” she said. “I didn't look at everything, but I think he shouldn't have die like that, that he died of exhaustion. What he experienced is unacceptable. '
Naruto, announced the death of Graven on Instagram and paid tribute to his 'brother, sidekick, partner'.
He begged fans not to share clips from the disturbing live stream, where graves seemed unconscious before he was found in bed.
The French Minister of Digital Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, Clara Chappaz, condemned the test as an 'absolute horror' and said that platforms should do more to protect vulnerable makers.
Sarah El Haïry, the High Commissioner for Children, described the tragedy as 'horrible' and warned parents to remain vigilant about the violent content that children have online access.
Kick, the streaming platform where Jeanpormanove built his supporters, said that it was “deeply sad” by his death and urgently promised to revise the circumstances.
'We urgently assess the circumstances and work together with relevant stakeholders. Kick's community guidelines are designed to protect makers, and we are committed to maintain them on our platform, “a spokesperson told AFP.
The case has shown hard spotlights on the dark world of 'humiliation flows' in France, where makers are said to endure extreme abuse for views and donations.
Le Monde described the dark side of human nature as “which is reminiscent of some of the most hair -raising episodes of the British dystopian Tech series Black Mirror.”