After mistreating Jonathan Clauss last season, Mehdi Benatia has apparently found himself a new scapegoat in Marseille. It seems so since the latest reports suggest that he humiliated Azzedine Ounahi to the point of pushing him to change clubs.
According to the Moroccan media Le360, “Benatia forced Ounahi’s hand, playing a toxic role in this matter, going so far as to threaten to sideline him by preventing him from playing if he refused to go to Qatar.”
Benatia takes out the stick against Ounahi
As is his wont, the former Bayern and Juventus player is said to have used his power to put pressure on one of his protégés. Faced with Ounahi’s inflexibility, he even proclaimed that he would “break his career” if he refused to change his mind. A scandalous intimidation if it turns out to be true.
Ounahi finally gave in. He will indeed leave OM to join the Gulf. A forced decision therefore while he was very motivated to prove his worth in the eyes of the new coach of the team Roberto De Zerbi. The Moroccan will only have stayed 18 months at the Vélodrome. He played 44 matches with the Phocéens, but only 24 as a starter. His statistical record remains rather meager: 3 goals scored and 1 assist offered.
