Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped from Marseille’s squad after reportedly spraying a staff member with a fire extinguisher, with players also claimed to have ‘trashed’ rooms at the training ground.
Marseille chiefs ordered the squad to stay at the Robert Louis-Dreyfus training centre earlier this week, with the hierarchy seeking to respond to their dismal run of form.
According to reports, former Arsenal star Aubameyang led a group of 10 players in throwing an impromptu party on their fourth night at their base, often referred to as La Commanderie.
The 36-year-old was said to have sprayed a fire extinguisher over Bob Tahri, his bed and his belongings.
Tahri had been at the training ground as a representative of the club’s sporting director, according to L’Equipe, and was tasked with enforcing a curfew.
Tahri, a former World Championship silver medallist in the steeplechase, was said to have been angered by the incident and reported it to Marseille’s hierarchy.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped by Marseille after spraying a member of staff, his bed and his belongings with a fire extinguisher
The incident on Thursday came as Marseille players threw an ‘impromptu party’ at their training ground, which reportedly led to rooms being left in ‘disarray’
L’Equipe added that Aubameyang apologised to Tahri over the incident, with the forward claiming that he only wanted to ‘liven things up’.
Aubameyang has since been dropped from Marseille’s squad for their match against Le Havre on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening, with multiple players claimed to have been involved.
Foot Mercato reported that the players’ rooms were left in ‘disarray’, with sources telling the publication that atmosphere was ‘almost reminiscent of a summer camp.’
Marseille’s season has faltered since Roberto De Zerbi – now at Tottenham – left the club in February.
The French giants have won just once in the league since March 13, with the run ending their ambitions of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Marseille are now facing a battle to secure European football having slipped to seventh in the league.
Manager Habib Beye and club bosses had hoped the enforced stay at the training ground would deliver a wake-up call to the squad, having been embarrassed by the attitude and commitment of the group.
Habib Beye has his Marseille squad sleeping at the club’s training ground for four days in an attempt to combat their dismal form
Mason Greenwood is among the Marseille players to have come in for scathing criticism in recent weeks
A labour lawyer in Paris earlier this week said the demands of the club on the players in this instance could be considered ‘harassment’.
Pierre Vignal told RMC: ‘This could very well constitute a form of harassment. From a legal standpoint, we’re dealing with a restriction of a fundamental freedom, namely the freedom of movement.
‘Like any restriction of a fundamental freedom, the Labor Code stipulates that it must be justified and proportionate. The justification seems to me to be completely lacking. In any case, proportionality is difficult to achieve.
‘If we consider ordinary employees, this represents a considerable deterioration in their working conditions and could very well constitute a form of harassment.
‘If we were to take this example from a normal company, it would be completely absurd.’
Marseille’s performances have provoked a furious reaction from fans, pundits and the French press in recent weeks.
And former Man United striker Mason Greenwood has been a focal point for criticism.
The Englishman and his Marseille team-mates were all given 0/10 ratings after a 3-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Nantes.
The forward was branded ‘scandalous’ and compared to a circus actor by local newspaper La Provence in a withering review.
Beye reportedly brought training to a halt earlier this week after Greenwood was claimed to have ignored instructions, while L’Equipe reported that the forward has angered the club by skipping French lessons and mandatory medical treatments.
