Marseille try to put Rabiot punch-up behind them while PSG win ugly | Luke Entwistle

Olympique de Marseille live precariously, attempting to harness the volcanic passion that flows through the club, without it enveloping it entirely. Treading such a fine line is easier said than done, and just a single goal, even one on the opening day of the season, is enough to trigger a meltdown of epic proportions.

Ludovic Blas’s injury-time winner for Rennes in the first game of the season was the trigger for what has now been termed by French media as “The Rabiot Affair”. It is an episode that has already put paid to Jonathan Rowe’s time at the club. The England Under-21 international was involved in a bust-up with Adrien Rabiot following the 1-0 defeat by Rennes. The sporting director, Medhi Benatia, confirmed that punches were thrown, while the club president, Pablo Longoria, spoke of “incredible violence”. Between teammates and staff attempting to break up the fight and one of OM’s youngsters, Darryl Bakola, fainting in the dressing room, it was a scene befitting a Renaissance painting.

While Rabiot’s mother and agent, Véronique, attempted to downplay the incident, pointing out that “no one ended up in hospital”, Marseille took a hardline stance. Rabiot and Rowe were initially temporarily suspended before an announcement on Monday revealed the pair had been transfer-listed. The reason given was the pair’s “unacceptable behaviour in the dressing room after the match against Stade Rennais”. However, just hours prior, it was Véronique who broke the news, via the radio station RTL. She was told that the official reason was Rabiot’s “lack of commitment” since the club’s pre-season training camp in the Netherlands.

Véronique called Marseille “pathetic” and accused them of lying. The family lawyer, Romuald Palao, added: “When the club indicates that the player’s behaviour has changed recently, they are lying. It’s a bit of a fabricated story.”

It certainly is at odds with Longoria’s comments, made in an OM documentary released at the end of July. “Adrien is special. I would say that he is the best person I have seen in a dressing room in my career. He is an example of how you should work,” said the Marseille president. The dissonance is striking, and the lack of clarity, the multiplication of narratives and counter-narratives have bred a circus. It isn’t Marseille’s first.

It comes back to the fervour and passion around the club, which is embraced and posited as its greatest strength. Managerial choices in recent years have only exacerbated that trope. Jorge Sampaoli, Igor Tudor, Gennaro Gattuso and now Roberto De Zerbi – all have held the post since 2021 and you certainly wouldn’t describe any as calm or level-headed.

Not that going the opposite way has decreased the temperature at a Vélodrome that is always on the verge of eruption. Marcelino, who marked a departure from his hot-headed predecessors, lasted just seven games before being chased out of the club by the ultras, accused of levelling death threats at the Spaniard and the man who brought him in, Longoria. The latter temporarily stepped back from his role before returning.

OM reverted to their tried, albeit not exactly trusted, strategy. In came De Zerbi the following summer, marking a shift back towards those more, let’s say expressive managers. His tumultuous debut season was marked by flare-ups, as shown in the club’s Sans Jamais Rien Lâcher (Never Give Up) documentary. Ostensibly a tale of unison and of Marseille’s “mentality-monster” mindset, it nonetheless gave glimpses into the less savoury aspects of De Zerbi’s management. One scene in the documentary saw him lambast new signing Ismaël Koné for taking too many touches in training. The Italian sent the Canadian back to the dressing room, telling him to “call his agent” on the way, leading to a confrontation between the pair.

Beyond that, there were the threats of resignation, the late-season ritiro in Rome, and the now-overlooked Chancel Mbemba situation, which saw the defender relegated to the reserves before leaving on a free earlier this summer. Amid the success, incarnated in a second-place finish in Ligue 1, there is conflict – an almost necessary byproduct.

There is a certain irony in Marseille’s “Droit au But” (“Straight to the Goal”) slogan; their route to it is always meandering, and this season promises to be no different. This week alone provided a snapshot into a bipolar club. Earlier in the week, Rabiot’s career at OM looked over, his mother said it was unthinkable that he would ever wear the jersey again.

Yet on Saturday, a 5-2 win over Paris FC lifted the clouds that lingered over the Vél and post-match, De Zerbi extended an olive branch. “I haven’t spoken with Pablo [Longoria] or Medhi [Benatia], but even if he made a mistake, I hope there are conditions to repair things,” said the coach. The player remains – officially – on the transfer list, although it is our understanding that an apology from Rabiot could open the door to him remaining at the club; Rowe is already out the door, having completed a move to Bologna.

The loss of both players, particularly Rabiot, decreases the quality of the squad. “To protect the institution, we have to make decisions where we are the victims,” says Benatia. OM are indeed a victim of this episode, in this apparently necessary act of self-sabotage, but more than that, they are a victim of their own culture and ideology, which intrinsically gives rise to volatility. Volcanoes do erupt, and Marseille is never dormant.

Talking points

Paris Saint-Germain’s slow start to the season continued with another 1-0 win, this time against Angers, a side expected to be embroiled in a relegation scrap. Les Parisiens still feel like a work in progress. Luis Enrique’s side, following their late finish to last season, only began pre-season training 10 days before the return of Ligue 1. Two lethargic performances are the direct consequence of that, while Luis Enrique also pointed to the surprisingly poor state of the Parc des Princes pitch as a mitigating factor in what was an underwhelming performance, marked by another missed penalty, this time from Ousmane Dembélé. Fabián Ruiz’s second-half strike saw PSG over the line. Winning in style was a hallmark of this team last season, but this physically diminished side is showing itself capable of winning ugly, too, in these difficult opening weeks of the season.

Retirement from international football, coupled with a move to LAFC, looked to signal the end of Olivier Giroud’s career in Europe last summer. He wasn’t exactly prolific in the MLS, netting just five goals in 38 appearances, but with Jonathan David and Chuba Akpom leaving Lille, there was a need for attacking reinforcements. His meagre goal return in the US didn’t dissuade LOSC from making the move, even if the move was greeted with a degree of scepticism.

However, he has been rolling back the years, netting two neatly taken goals, including an injury-time winner against Monaco on Sunday. Les Bleus’ all-time top scorer has rarely been prolific, despite an impressive catalogue of goals. But on his return to France, he is bringing more than just experience and link-up play to a Lille side that was crying out for someone to step up after a summer in which they were stripped of their assets. Giroud, as he so often was for France, is proving to be that man again, as he approaches his 39th birthday.