Marseille youngster Rayan Hassad has been suspended by the club after he was accused of wishing a happy birthday to team-mate Mbemba ‘in a provocative nature’.
The 18-year-old took to social media to wish the former Newcastle defender many happy returns of the day. He posted an a image of the pair on Instagram that included the message: ‘Happy birthday cousin.’
However, it appears Mbemba may not have appreciated Hassad’s seemingly innocuous language. The Congo international had been suspend himself by the club after he clashed with reserve manager Ali Zarrak after being called ‘cousin’ several times.
Following Hassad’s post earlier this month, Marseille have taken the decision to suspend the youngster, who is surplus to requirements now Roberto de Zerbi is in charge.
According to RMC Sport, Hassad’s suspension is a precautionary measure.
Following Hassad’s post earlier this month, Marseille have taken the decision to suspend the youngster, who is surplus to requirements now Roberto de Zerbi is in charge.
According to RMC Sport, Hassad’s suspension is a precautionary measure.
‘I would like to clarify that at no time did I want to cause harm to my club and my management. It was a simple birthday message, as I usually do with other teammates. If I may have hurt someone, I apologise, but know that this was never my intention.’
Marseille cited the ‘provocative nature of the message’, while other issues were reportedly communicated to the player in the letter informing him of the suspension.
Hassad has only one year remaining on his contract and is currently part of the reserve team – along with Mbemba – that is led by club legend Jean-Pierre Papin.
