Former Red turning red: Sakho threw his manager to the ground?!

Not seeing eye to eye with the manager is nothing unusual, pretty much in every club, in every sport - there are some points in which a player or players do not agree with the coach. But in most cases, it is something athletes usually 'soak up and get on with.' That is not what happened between Mamadou Sakho and Montpellier manager Michel Der Zakarian. Allegedly, far from it.

According to L'Equipe, the former Liverpool defender left the 2011/12 Ligue 1 champions with immediate effect after a reported physical altercation with the Armenian strategist.

The same source states that Sakho grabbed Der Zakarian by the collar and knocked him to the ground in front of several witnesses during a training ground bust-up.

The confrontation was said to have been sparked when Sakho was not given a foul by Der Zakarian during training and the Armenian called him a 'cry baby', and Sakho proceeded to leave the training pitch after layers and staff members quickly stepped in to prevent the situation escalating further.

Sakho was banned by the club following the incident and risked facing the sack, but he has not left the club - seemingly of his own accord - for good.

The 33-year-old released a statement on Thursday, roughly translated by Fabrizio Romano, explaining his exit, but maintained his innocence in the altercation, refusing to accept any portion of the blame.

'You have to know how to leave the table when respect is no longer served,' the statement began.

'Following the incident that took place last week at the training centre and for which I decline all responsibility, I have decided, on this day of 11/2/2023, to ending my collaboration with Montpellier Herault Sports Club.

'I spent two years in this family club where I took pleasure to share my high-level experience with my team-mates and my 'little brothers' from the centre of training. At the same time, I think them for their support flawless as well as the medical stuff without forgetting the supporters who appreciated my time at the club.

'Thanks also to the sports director Bruno Carotti for his loyalty to me throughout my adventure [at] Montpellier.

'Finally, I wanted to give a special thanks to the president, Laurent Nicollin, who, like his late father did before him, heads the MHSC with the values and principles that are dear to me.

'We met as men, let's leave as men. Happy end of the season, Mamadou Sakho.'

Michel Der Zakarian returned for a second stint as Montpellier manager in February this year, and allegedly branded Sakho a 'cry baby' even before tensions rose.

Sakho was told in the summer that he was no longer part of Der Zakarian's plans, but was unable to get a transfer elsewhere.

Sakho joined Montpellier in 2021 from Crystal Palace after eight years playing in the Premier League - three-and-a-half with Liverpool and four-and-a-half with Palace.

He made 155 appearances combined for the two clubs before moving back to his homeland in France, making 45 appearances for the Ligue 1 side in just over two years.

Mbappe and WZE eager to take the top, code red at the Velodrome