Marseille's squad is reportedly being forced to sleep at the club's training ground in a desperate attempt to salvage their season. Since Roberto de Zerbi left the French side for Tottenham, the team has suffered a horrendous run of form, culminating in a 3-0 defeat by Nantes at the weekend that triggered drastic action.
According to RMC Sport, manager Habib Beye and club bosses have compelled the players to stay overnight at the Robert-Louis-Dreyfus training centre, with the hierarchy embarrassed by the group's attitude and commitment.
Mason Greenwood and his teammates now sit seventh in Ligue 1, with their Champions League qualification hopes all but extinguished. They have won just once since March 13. The move to have the players remain at the training ground is a desperate attempt to revive their ailing fortunes and ensure they do not miss out on European football altogether.
A labour lawyer in Paris has suggested that the club's demands 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. Former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood has been a focal point for criticism. The Englishman and his teammates were all given 0/10 ratings after the defeat at relegation-threatened Nantes.
Local newspaper La Provence branded Greenwood 'scandalous' and compared him to a circus actor in a withering review. They wrote: 'Scandalous from start to finish, he thought it was okay to walk after his countless turnovers, complain when his teammates didn't pass to him, and act like he was in a circus, attempting unnecessary gestures for his own personal amusement, while his club's financial future was at stake. In other circumstances, he might have deserved half a point for at least managing to tie his boots.' They also wrote: 'It's easier to understand why the enfant terrible of English football spent a brief spell on the bench at kickoff last Sunday. While players readily invoke the infamous "professional foul," Greenwood's behavior on Saturday was undeniably one.'
La Provence was similarly critical of other former Premier League players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Of Aubameyang, they said: 'The Gabonese player completed more passes for Nantes than his teammates.' Of Hojbjerg: 'After puffing out his chest at the foot of the Depé stand last Sunday, "Pilou" has reverted to a kitten. The worst version of himself. Completely out of sorts, he produced a festival of passes that were sometimes poorly judged, sometimes overhit, sometimes forced.'
Marseille have two games remaining: they travel to face Le Havre this weekend before welcoming Rennes on the final day. Those matches will indicate whether the extreme measures have paid off.
