Marseille coach Roberto de Zerbi defended the club's decision to reprimand Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe following their physical altercation.
De Zerbi spoke for the first time following the decision of Marseille to register Rabiot and Rowe on the transfer market and approved the club's decision. The Italian described the measure of the club as “necessary” and revealed that the altercation between the two players had left one of their “unconscious” teammates.
Olympique de Marseille turns into Fight Club
The Marseille season started under a cloud of controversy after the defeat against Rennes at the opening of Ligue 1, darkened by an explosive incident off the field. Following this defeat, Rabiot and Rowe clashed in a stormy exchange which degenerated into physical confrontation, leaving the club other choice than to intervene. The two players were quickly suspended and then placed on the list of transfers as a disciplinary measure. Reflecting the severity of the situation, the club president, Pablo Longoria, has not chewed his words, calling the episode of “totally unprecedented in the world of football”.
In reality, the fight between the two Marseille players degenerated to the point that it took the intervention of the police to calm the spirits. De Zerbi says that Darryl Bakola, 17, was caught in the fight and lost consciousness. At a press conference on Friday, Zerbi said : “I have been playing football for a long time, I have been in the world for over 30 years. I used to talk about what's going on in the locker room. But I think you have to clarify things, it's necessary. At any workplace, if two employees are fighting, as in a pub, with a teammate who was on the ground because he had lost consciousness, what should the employer do? Either the suspension or the dismissal. »»
Of Zerbi without small
« Medhi Benatia, Pablo Longoria and I discussed on the phone this weekend and waited on Monday to communicate a clear decision: exclude these two players from the team while waiting to see if one of them felt regrets. In a football club, in a workplace, there must be a hierarchy, and the club must pass before it. It was an imposed choice, and a fair decision. A temporary choice to understand how things would have taken place later. The bodyguards supposed to protect us still had to separate the players. “We could have said:” We shake hands, and that's it. But I don't lose my dignity, whether for a match or a championship. I support the club's decision. They did not break their teeth, but it was a real fight, a brawl, as I have never seen in as many years of career. While Darryl Bakola was on the ground and had lost consciousness …
Rabiot and Rowe were not summoned by De Zerbi for the match against Paris FC on Saturday. The English striker is close to a transfer to Bologna, in Serie has, following the interest of Roma and the Premier League. For his part, the Frenchman was expected to play a key role under the orders of the former coach of Brighton this season, the Olympians finding the Champions League. Now that the club has decided to sell the midfielder, speculation suggests that a return to Juventus could be envisaged, while the Inter also follows the file closely. The actions of Marseille attracted the anger of Rabiot's mother, Véronique-known for her outspokenness-who said that the Ligue 1 team had two weights.
