“Borderline behavior”

©IMAGO

In France, a delicate dispute broke out at the Olympique de Marseille. There are two protagonists also known in Germany, as well as the French players’ union UNFP, which strongly criticized the management of the OM club and the former Bayern professional Medhi Benatia. The latter, who works as a management consultant at the traditional club, had publicly taken shots at former Bielefeld right-back and current national player Jonathan Clauss.

Many voices in the French media attest that the professional Clauss has a behavioral problem. Even after the reprimands against the player that Benatia presented on television on Canal+, some took the former Munich player’s side. The UNFP’s comments towards Benatia and OM boss Pablo Longoria could hardly be clearer. The actions of the club and its advisor are “shameful” and “disgusting,” according to the union, which accuses officials of repeatedly blaming players for the club’s problems.

“Given what has been said about Jonathan Clauss, it will not be easy for him to demonstrate on the pitch the qualities that will make him the defender that Didier Deschamps is counting on as the next European Championship approaches. » » complained the UNFP. Benatia’s attack could also affect Clauss’ club search. After the current season, the national player, signed for 7.5 million euros in 2022, still has a contract for one more year.

OM put Clauss on the transfer market this winter – Benatia: Borderline behavior

Benatia had accused Clauss of a lack of commitment and was embarrassed by the fact that the player had requested a replacement due to injury after about half an hour of the match against Monaco in January (2-2), while the squad of OM was very thin. Benatia also said: “When I arrived in November, I was warned of two or three players whose behavior was sometimes a little borderline. Jonathan was one of these players. I know that he was summoned several times to the coach’s office to explain to him what was expected of him as a manager and as a French international. We thought the message had gotten through, unfortunately that is not the case.

After the match against Monaco, the club management interpreted this to mean that Clauss wanted to leave the club during the winter transfer window. The agent was contacted the night of the game and obviously put the player on the market. FC Bayern has been named candidate. “But there was no offer,” Benatia summed up and added: “He is playing, there is no problem, we will see what happens at the end of the season.” Since the incident, the situation has initially calmed down somewhat.

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