Adrien Rabiot's mother has accused Marseille of having double standards after deciding to sell the midfielder after his fight with Jonathan Rowe.
Rabiot's mother is unhappy with the club's treatmentBelieves Marseille are falsifying factsSays respect goes both ways Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Rabiot and Rowe were reportedly engaged in a violent altercation after Marseille's loss against Rennais in Ligue 1 at the weekend. Club president Pablo Longoria said it was an outburst of "extreme violence" and the club have since put Rabiot up for sale, while Rowe has agreed to a Serie A transfer.
The club's stance does not sit right with Veronique Rabiot, the France international's mother and agent, as she insisted locker room fights are nothing new and that Longoria speaking about the matter is out of line. She further stressed that the fight started between Rowe and Geronimo Rulli initially, and it was her son and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who intervened to separate them.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
She went on to say that Roberto De Zerbi is never held accountable for the kind of behaviour he fosters in the club, highlighting that her son deserves a second chance given the Italian's vocal support of Mason Greenwood despite fan protests due to the charges of attempted rape and assault that the ex-Manchester United player faced before they were dropped in February 2023.
WHAT VERONIQUE RABIOT SAID
Veronique told : "What I can tell you is that I see the facts, the words 'unheard-of violence, extreme violence,' it's very, very strong, in general, it means that there are injuries. Here, as far as I know, there were no split lips, no broken noses, no shattered eyebrows. No one is injured, no one went to the hospital, there wasn't even a doctor's intervention. We know very well that this is completely false. There was no unheard-of violence, there was an altercation. What I can say, and then Adrien will give his version, is that at the beginning, it wasn't even between Rowe and him, but between Rowe and Geronimo. Pierre-Emile and Adrien came to separate them. And then it went freestyle. But all we heard… The coach who has never seen that, while he is always yelling and barking… And, then, he was shocked? There is nothing shocking, it happens in every locker room, it has already happened and it will happen again. The punishment is totally disproportionate . Everyone knows it, they are lying."
When further asked if she thinks the club decided in favour of De Zerbi rather than Rabiot?, Veronique said: "It's less problematic to change a player than the coach… Ah, I hadn't thought of that! Indeed… It's him or it's me. Possible."
She added: "I just want to remind people that we can't say 'unbelievable violence' if neither player is injured. I want to tell them to show us the footage… I still wonder how we can treat Adrien like this when we know all the sacrifices he made to come to OM. To mistreat him like this after everything he did last season is unbearable. That's what's most shocking. I didn't know people could be treated like this. He was so happy to be here, but in the end, they treat him like an outcast, like a bad guy… To think we've never seen this is crazy. When Greenwood signed after hitting his wife, De Zerbi said we could give him a second chance. I agree with giving people second chances, but is it only my son who doesn't get a second chance? I assume he doesn't owe OM anything because he paid in advance. It's OM who should thank him and not disrespect him."
(C)Getty imagesWHAT NEXT FOR RABIOT?
The French midfielder has been put up on the transfer list and his mother say's they have received many offers but haven't decided anything as of yet. She further claims that the relationship between Rabiot and Rowe is "very good" contrary to what the club and media reports.
