The China Mail - Marseille's Rabiot, Rowe up for sale after 'extremely violent' bust-up: club president

"What happened was extremely serious and extremely violent, something I've never encountered before," Longoria told AFP in an interview.

"We had to take a decision because what happened went way beyond what is acceptable in a football club, as it would be in any organisation."

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

Marseille had called the players' behaviour "unacceptable" in a brief club statement published on Tuesday.

"I wasn't in the dressing room but the staff who were told me it was incredible, violent, aggressive and went beyond any limits," added 39-year-old Spaniard Longoria, who has been Marseille president since 2021.

The incident is a huge setback for the 1993 Champions League winners, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for Europe's elite club competition.

They came into this campaign with ambitions of pushing champions Paris Saint-Germain under Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi, but have now been plunged into a full-blown crisis.

"Roberto De Zerbi has been coaching for 13 years, (sporting director) Medhi Benatia has been in top-level football for 22 years. I started out in professional football 20 years ago," Longoria added.

"I think we all have enough experience to say we have never seen anything like it in a dressing room... Even in the worst punch-ups there are rules. Not in this case."

England Under-21 international winger Rowe spent last season on loan at OM from Norwich City 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.

He had an outstanding first campaign at the Velodrome but Marseille have not succeeded in persuading the former PSG midfielder to extend a contract which will expire at the end of this season.

However, Longoria insisted that the decision to put Rabiot up for sale was in no way related to his contractual situation.

"The decision was very clear. It protects the club as an institution and it protects our season going forward. It is not negotiable for me to be president of a club where there are no rules," Longoria added.

"Honestly as a club we are the victims in this situation. A fight like this is unheard of in the world of football."

Marseille's second game of the Ligue 1 season will be at home to newly-promoted Paris FC on Saturday.

N.Wan--ThChM