Mamadou Sakho rescinds contract with Montpellier after clash with coach
Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho and Ligue 1 club Montpellier have mutually agreed to terminate their contract following a “clash” between the player and coach Michel Der Zakarian.
“After 10 days of reflection, both parties have agreed in good faith to end their contractual relationship,” the club said in a statement.
Sakho and Der Zakarian had a confrontation in the dressing room last week and had to be separated by players, according to witnesses. The 33-year-old ends his stint with Montpellier eight months before the original contract expiration: he had signed with the French club in July 2021 after playing in England with Liverpool and Crystal Palace. The former French international accepted the resolution of his contract but refused to take responsibility for the situation. “You have to know when to walk away whenever there is a lack of respect,” Sakho wrote on his former Twitter account. “After the incident last week at the training center, for which I don’t accept any responsibility, I have decided to end my collaboration with Montpellier,” he added, before thanking his teammates and some high-ranking officials within the club.
Sakho has only played seven minutes this season.
On Friday, Montpellier will travel to the capital to face Sakho’s former club, Paris Saint-Germain.