MARSEILLE, Aug 22, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi on 
Friday described the altercation between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe as 
being like a bar room brawl after the pair were placed on the transfer list 
by their club.

The incident occurred in the changing room following last Friday's 1-0 defeat 
away to Rennes in Marseille's opening match of the French Ligue 1 season, a 
game which they lost to a stoppage-time goal after playing for an hour with 
an extra man.

"I ask you this: what happens if, at your workplace, two people, two 
employees, two workers, two lawyers, get into a fight?" said De Zerbi during 
a press conference ahead of Marseille's first home match of the campaign 
against Paris FC.

"It was a bar fight, in front of the sporting director, in front of the 
coach, with a teammate on the ground (Darryl Bakola, who was suffering a 
medical emergency)."

De Zerbi added that the ferocity of the altercation shocked Marseille staff 
and players alike.

"It's true that no teeth were broken during the fight, but it was a fight 
like I've never seen in all my years in football. For the first time in my 
career, I didn't know what to say or what to do," said the Italian.

"I've never seen anything like it. I come from the streets, I'm used to 
fights. But I've never seen anything like this. The club's bodyguards were 
trying to separate them. Normally they're supposed to protect us from others, 
not from ourselves."

Both players were subsequently placed on the transfer list, with Marseille 
president Pablo Longoria describing the incident as "extremely violent" in an 
interview with AFP.

England Under-21 international winger Rowe, 22, spent last season on loan at 
Marseille from Norwich and that deal was turned into a permanent transfer in 
the summer.

The 30-year-old Rabiot, who has 53 caps for France, joined Marseille at the 
beginning of last season as a free agent after leaving Juventus and enjoyed a 
stellar first campaign at the Velodrome as the team finished second and 
qualified for the Champions League.

"Pablo, Medhi (Benatia, Marseille's sporting director) and I spent Saturday 
and Sunday on the phone. We decided to suspend the two players from the squad 
while we waited to see if there would be any genuine contrition (from the 
players)," De Zerbi added.

"On Monday, when we communicated our decision to the players, it was a 
temporary measure, but the situation escalated, not because of Marseille, but 
because of those around them," he said, explicitly referring to the French 
international's mother Veronique, who is also his agent.

"Adrien is still a good guy. I think his entourage mishandled the aftermath 
of Rennes. If there had been any regrets, I think things would have returned 
to normal."

De Zerbi shared he had spoken with Rabiot earlier on Friday.

"He is disappointed. He believes it to be an excessive decision," the 46-
year-old coach said.

"However, in a team, as in any workplace, there is a hierarchy. The club 
comes first, before the players and the coach."