Marseille manager Habib Beye has decided to drop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for their upcoming match against Le Havre after the player discharged a fire extinguisher on a staff member and his own belongings, as reported by sources to ESPN.
Despite a critical 1-0 victory in Ligue 1 that lifted the team to sixth place with just one game left, the club’s season remains fraught with challenges.
Following their recent string of poor performances, the entire squad and coaching staff had been required to stay overnight at the training ground as a form of punishment.
On Thursday, Aubameyang and several teammates played a practical joke on Bob Tahri, a former long-distance Olympian and member of the club’s performance team, who was monitoring player adherence to curfew rules.
After the incident, the 36-year-old Aubameyang expressed regret and accepted the decision to be dropped, although he maintained it was intended as a joke.
This incident underscored the underlying tensions at the club during a particularly tumultuous period.
Mason Greenwood, who did not participate in the fire extinguisher prank but scored the decisive goal against Le Havre, is also contributing to the unrest within the team.
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Sources have indicated that Aubameyang’s behavior this season has included arriving late to team meetings and missing sponsor events and French language classes. There are also reports of a fallout between him and sporting director Medhi Benatia.
Although he is under contract at the Vélodrome until June 2029, both sides are reportedly keen to part ways this summer. Marseille aims to recuperate slightly more than the €26 million (£22m) they paid to acquire him in July 2024.