Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi on Friday described the altercation between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe as being like a barroom brawl after the pair were placed on the transfer list by their club.
The incident occurred in the changing room following last Friday's 1-0 defeat away to Rennes in Marseille's opening match of the French Ligue 1 season, a game which they lost to a stoppage-time goal after playing for an hour with an extra man.
"I ask you this: what happens if, at your workplace, two people, two employees, two workers, two lawyers, get into a fight?" said De Zerbi during a press conference ahead of Marseille's first home match of the campaign against Paris FC.
"It was a bar fight, in front of the sporting director, in front of the coach, with a teammate on the ground (Darryl Bakola, who was suffering a medical emergency)."
FEROCIOUS ALTERCATION
De Zerbi added that the ferocity of the altercation shocked Marseille staff and players alike.
"It's true that no teeth were broken during the fight, but it was a fight like I've never seen in all my years in football. For the first time in my career, I didn't know what to say or what to do," said the Italian.
"I've never seen anything like it. I come from the streets, I'm used to fights. But I've never seen anything like this. The club's bodyguards were trying to separate them. Normally, they're supposed to protect us from others, not from ourselves."
Both players were subsequently placed on the transfer list, with Marseille president Pablo Longoria describing the incident as "extremely violent" in an interview with AFP.
England Under-21 international winger Rowe, 22, spent last season on loan at Marseille from Norwich and that deal was turned into a permanent transfer in the summer.
The 30-year-old Rabiot, who has 53 caps for France, joined Marseille at the beginning of last season as a free agent after leaving Juventus and enjoyed a stellar first campaign at the Velodrome as the team finished second and qualified for the Champions League.
"Pablo, Medhi (Benatia, Marseille's sporting director) and I spent Saturday and Sunday on the phone. We decided to suspend the two players from the squad while we waited to see if there would be any genuine contrition (from the players)," De Zerbi added.
"On Monday, when we communicated our decision to the players, it was a temporary measure, but the situation escalated, not because of Marseille, but because of those around them," he said, explicitly referring to the French international's mother Veronique, who is also his agent.
"Adrien is still a good guy. I think his entourage mishandled the aftermath of Rennes. If there had been any regrets, I think things would have returned to normal."
De Zerbi shared that he had spoken with Rabiot earlier on Friday.
"He is disappointed. He believes it to be an excessive decision," the 46-year-old coach said.
"However, in a team, as in any workplace, there is a hierarchy. The club comes first, before the players and the coach."