Christophe Dugarry did not hide his disgust after the revelations surrounding the transfer of Malick Fofana from OL to Sunderland. In Rothen ignites on RMCthe 1998 world champion strongly criticized the influence of the young Belgian international’s entourage in the choice of his new destination. Fofana notably had the possibility of joining Crystal Palace, where he would have reunited with Pierre Sage, his former coach at Lyon, but ultimately chose Sunderland. A choice which would have been influenced in particular by the commissions granted to his representatives and his entourage (his uncle having received 500,000 euros in the operation). “ The deplorable attitude is obviously that of the family. It is scandalous and unimaginable. The first discussion you need to have with your player is: where do you want to go? It’s the player’s wish that counts above all else », denounced Dugarry.
The former Blues striker, however, believes that Fofana, described as a reserved boy, may have lacked the character to impose his own choice on those around him. Jérôme Rothen also recalled that the player remained the one who had signed and validated his contract, while denouncing the weight taken by money in certain career decisions. Dugarry broadened his criticism to the current functioning of football and its financial excesses, drawing a parallel in particular with the recent controversies surrounding Gianni Infantino. “ When Infantino is ready to sell football to the highest bidder, how can you expect a member of the family not to ask for 500,000 euros from a club that is ready to give it to him? “, he said, before concluding: “ Football today is, in some ways, disgusting, even if I’m not going to say that it never existed. »
