Even before the first question, Roberto de Zerbi addressed the Adrien Rabiot-Jonathan Rowe affair during a press conference on Friday, prior to the match against Paris FC (Saturday at 5 pm). The coach of Olympique de Marseille mainly criticized the behavior of the close employees of the French International.
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He arrived in the room, greeted the journalists present, sat down and launched in a very long monologue. Roberto de Zerbi did not even wait for the first question to give his first thoughts about the Adrien Rabiot-Jonathan Rowe affair that has startled since the 0-1 defeat on Rennes on Friday, August 15.
“As (Medhi) Benatia said, I have played football for a long time, I have been in football for more than 30 years. I have been used to talking about what is going on in the dressing room, but we have to put things in order. That is why I pronounce it,” said the Italian coach, who was present at a press conference on the side line on Saturday).
“Before the players there is the coach and for the coach there is the club.”
“In a workplace, two employees – two waiters, two lawyers, two employees … – each other. Like in an English pub, a fight for the sports director, the coach, with a teammate who was on the ground because he had lost consciousness. What should the club, and therefore the employer, do?
“It's a fair decision, temporarily in the beginning. It is what the club had to do.”
After telephone discussions between them on Saturday and Sunday, Pablo Longoria, Medhi Benatia and Roberto de Zerbi decided to let the two players from the team “awaiting how they felt, to see if there was any regret on their part.” The OM -sports director also, in an exclusive interview with RMC on Wednesday, had explained that he had given them 48 hours to apologize, which was not done.
“In a football club, such as wherever, there must be a hierarchy, namely that the club must come for everything else, including myself. The players must also know this: for them there is the coach, and for the coach there is the club,” Robert de Zerbi continued. “In the recent history, there was to be involved in controversies – coaches who leave quickly, directors who leave – because there might be a lack of order and an ethical code within the club. So it was a mandatory choice, we had to make this decision, what an honest decision is, in the beginning temporarily. It was to do.”
“That his mother attacks Longoria and Benatia, it annoys me.”
Before confirming the comments from Medhi Benatia, who had admitted that they “have never seen such a scene”. “It was really a fight, where the club's bodyguards had to separate the players. It is the only time I have seen that. It is not a scandal for me, I am from the street, I am used to things like this … But to see that the body of the club, who would normally have to defend us against other people, forced to defend us against ourselves …”
Roberto de Zerbi then took a position against the accusations of Véronique Rabiot. Since Thursday, the mother of the French midfielder has disputed the version given by the management of Marseille, which she accuses of lying. “In de entourage van Rabiot worden er valse dingen gezegd. (…) Toen ze het hebben over de president die zeggen dat hij sprak over 'corruptie' na de wedstrijd tegen Auxerre, verdedigde Pablo Longoria toen zijn club. Misschien door fouten te maken – en in feite realiseerde hij het zelf, vroeg hij om vergeving en was een teken van kracht,” zei de Italiaanse coach, die de Italiaanse coach zei, die de Italiaanse Coach zei, de ITALIAN -Coach, who said the Italian coach, who said the Italian coach, said the Italian coach, who jumped the Italice coach.
“(Medhi) Benatia, perhaps even more than me, had a very close relationship with Adrien, and I am talking about something extra football. His entourage knows that they helped Adrien, in his private life, in what was needed. It is something he did with everyone, but with Adrien he went out alone. He had more attention and in a year.”
“I could have pretended I didn't see anything, but I don't lose my dignity for a game or a championship.”
And he continued: “It is a decision that is correct, it was temporary. We greatly appreciate it as men. But when it comes to the dressing room, Pablo and Medhi as far as the club is concerned, we know how to be seen for the good. Tomorrow we will only lose a champion, but I can't play for a competition. I supported everything else.”
“At that time I didn't know what to say or what to do.”
The Marseille coach then returned to the facts. Adrien Rabiot's mother was particularly surprised to hear talking about “extreme violence” when “nobody was injured, nobody went to the hospital.”
“Certainly, they did not broken their teeth in this fight, but this fight, this fight, I had never seen that in so many years of career,” he confirmed again. “At the time I did not know what to say if what to do. I saw the doctor try to wake the other player (Darryl Bakola) who had lost consciousness on the ground, Rowe and Rabiot touched each other … Why? For a match? For a match we played badly in my opinion, but it is the beginning.”
Before we continue: “On the field we have to show 'The Balls' as you say. But not to be mixed up with teammates. Maybe we lose other matches, but nobody should feel superior to. It should be an honor, a source of pride to defend these colors. Courage that the club does, but it will be useful in the long term.”
“It Degerde, not because of the entourage”
One of the issues that the Marseille coach annoyed in this affair was also the behavior of the Rabiot clan. From his lawyer, Mr. Palao, to his mother, the good friends of the French International did little to calm things down. In fact in fact. And according to Roberto de Zerbi, although the incident could initially have been forgiven, the entourage of Adrien Rabiot ruined any hope for forgiveness of OM.
“The facts: On Monday, when we communicated the decision to the players, it was temporary. Then things did not, because of the entourage. I destroyed my pride aside. But I think I am no one more important than Rabiot. A workplace.