Even before the first question, Roberto De Zerbi addressed the Adrien Rabiot-Jonathan Rowe affair at a press conference on Friday, ahead of the match against Paris FC (Saturday at 5 p.m.). The Olympique de Marseille coach particularly criticized the behavior of the French international's close associates.
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He arrived in the room, greeted the journalists present, sat down and launched into a very long monologue. Roberto De Zerbi didn't even wait for the first question to give his first thoughts on the Adrien Rabiot-Jonathan Rowe affair that has rocked OM since the 0-1 defeat at Rennes on Friday, August 15.
"As (Medhi) Benatia said , I played football for a long time, I've been in football for over 30 years. I'm used to talking about what's going on in the locker room, but we have to put things in order. That's why I'm speaking out, it's necessary," declared the Italian coach, who was present at a press conference on the sidelines of the reception of Paris FC on Saturday (5 p.m.).
"Before the players, there is the coach, and before the coach, there is the club."
"In a workplace, two employees - two waiters, two lawyers, two workers... - hit each other. Like in an English pub, a fight in front of the sporting 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? There are two solutions in this case: either suspension or dismissal," he continued.
"It's a fair decision, temporary at first. It's 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 leave the two players out of the squad "while waiting to see how they felt, to see if there was any regret on their part." The OM sporting director had also explained, in an exclusive interview with RMC on Wednesday, that he had given them 48 hours to apologize , which was not done.
"In a football club, like anywhere else, there must be a hierarchy, which is that the club must come before everything else, including myself. The players must know this too: before them, there is the coach, and before the coach, there is the club," continued Roberto De Zerbi. "In recent history, OM has been involved in controversies - coaches who leave quickly, directors who leave - because there was perhaps a lack of order and a code of ethics within the club. So it was an obligatory choice, we had to make this decision, which is a fair decision, temporary at first. It's what the club had to do."
"That his mother attacks Longoria and Benatia, it annoys me."
Before confirming Medhi Benatia's comments, who had admitted to having "never seen" such a scene. "It was really a fight, where the club's bodyguards had to separate the players. It's the only time I've seen that. It doesn't scandalize me, I come from the street, I'm used to this kind of thing... but to see that the club's bodyguards, who should normally be defending us from other people, were forced to defend us from ourselves..."
Roberto De Zerbi then took a stand against Véronique Rabiot's accusations. Since Thursday, the French midfielder's mother has been contesting the version given by Marseille's management, whom she accuses of lying . "In Rabiot's entourage, false things are being said. (...) When they talk about the president saying that he spoke of 'corruption' after the match against Auxerre, Pablo Longoria was then defending his club. Perhaps by making mistakes - and in fact he realized it himself, he asked for forgiveness and apologizing is a sign of strength," said the Italian coach, who revealed that the player came to speak to him this Friday morning.
"(Medhi) Benatia, perhaps even more than me, had a very close relationship with Adrien, and I'm talking about something extra-football. His entourage knows that they helped Adrien, in his private life, in what was necessary. It's something he does with everyone, but with Adrien even more. He went beyond his role as sporting director, so that his mother attacks them, it annoys me. His mother forgot two things. I didn't decide alone to exclude him, I decided alone to make him captain in Paris. And in one year, I had more attention and hugs for her son than for my own son."
"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's a decision that is right, that was temporary. We highly appreciate it as men. But me, as far as the locker room is concerned, Pablo and Medhi as far as the club are concerned, we know how to lead for the good of OM. Tomorrow we will have to play without Rowe or Rabiot, it weighs on us, it's not easy. I could have pretended not to have seen anything, but I don't lose my dignity for a match or for a championship. I supported and I support everything the club does because it was right, there was no other choice, no other way out."
"At the 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 talk of "extreme violence" when "no one was injured, no one went to the hospital."
"Certainly, they didn't break their teeth in this fight, but this fight, this brawl, I had never seen that in so many years of career," he affirmed again. "At the time, I didn't know what to say or what to do. I saw the doctor trying to wake up the other player (Darryl Bakola) who had lost consciousness on the ground, Rowe and Rabiot hitting each other... why? For a match? For a match that we played badly in my opinion, but it's the beginning."
Before continuing: "On the pitch, we have to show 'the balls' as you say. But not by hitting each other with teammates. Maybe we'll lose other matches, but no one should feel superior to OM. It should be an honor, a source of pride to defend these colors. You can find stronger players everywhere, and there are also a lot of coaches, better than me. We have to manage to maintain professionalism and good behavior. That way, we'll manage to stay in our place. It's something courageous that the club is doing, but it will be beneficial in the long term."
"It degenerated, not because of OM but because of the entourage"
Among the issues that irked the Marseille coach in this affair was also the behavior of the Rabiot clan. From his lawyer, Mr. Palao , to his mother, the French international's close friends did little to calm things down. Quite the opposite, in fact. And according to Roberto De Zerbi, while the incident could have been forgiven at first, Adrien Rabiot's entourage ruined any hope of forgiveness from OM.
"The facts: On Monday, when we communicated the decision to the players, it was temporary. Then things degenerated, not because of OM but because of the entourage. I put my pride aside. But I think that I am no one more important than Rabiot. There is a hierarchy. For Rabiot's mother to allow herself to say that we gave Greenwood a second chance ... It's crazy. We're talking about private life here. It's not right to talk about other people. We're talking about a fight in a workplace.