Former international defender Mamadou Sakho and Montpellier decided by mutual agreement on Thursday to terminate the player’s contract, nine days after a “clash” with his coach Michel Der Zakarian.
“At the end of ten days of reflection, the parties have, in good faith, agreed to put an end to the contractual relationship which bound them,” indicated the Hérault club in a press release, denouncing also “the excitement media” and denying any “precautionary layoff”. Eight months before the end of his contract, Sakho (33) leaves Montpellier, which he joined in the summer of 2021 to succeed Brazilian defender Vitorino Hilton.
If Sakho accepts this hasty departure, he refuses to take responsibility for it. “We must know how to leave the table when respect is no longer served,” he assured in his own press release posted on social networks. “Following the incident which took place last week at the training center and for which I decline all responsibility, I have decided to end my collaboration with Montpellier”, also writes the former Parisian.
Last week, Sakho and Der Zakarian had “a clash” in the locker room, requiring the intervention of several players to separate them, according to various witnesses. The former French international had only played seven minutes since the start of the season. At the central defender position, he was ahead of Kiki Kouyaté, Becir Omeragic, Christopher Jullien and Maxime Estève. After a long exile in England, at Liverpool and Crystal Palace, Sakho did not succeed in his return to Ligue 1. After a contrasting first season in Hérault, he lost his starting place and, from September 2022, is content with a luxury replacement role. Montpellier travels to Paris on Friday, city and training club of Sakho, for the 11th day of Ligue 1.
