A winner of the Africa Cup of Nations has slammed his current employers in Europe for "lying" after the club demanded €20 million (R405 million) from him in damages in their bitter dispute.
2021 AFCON winner Boulaye Dia has made bombshell claims against his club Salernitana in Italy.
The Senegal international, who was recently sanctioned by his team, has accused the side of lying about a certain incident amid his ongoing exclusion due to a fallout with former boss Fabio Liverani.
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Earlier this year, Liverani claimed that the Lions of Teranga star refused to go on to the pitch during a game against Udinese on 2 March.
"He refused to come on the pitch. I've taken note of it, and so has the club. It's a definitive choice. I now know that he's someone I can't count on," the Italian coach said, according to Sports News Africa.
However, with his last appearance for Salernitana coming against Monza on 24 February, Dia has now broken his silence on the dispute, revealing his version of events.
He told French outlet L'Equipe: "There's been too much news, too many lies, and I want to set the record straight. I also want to restore my image. People have the impression that I'm someone with problems. But I've never had any problems.
"The club lied.
"In the 80th minute, the coach asked me to go and warm up. I just nodded. I didn't really think I was going in because I hadn't warmed up at all beforehand. He saw my gesture, said straight away: 'Sit down' and told another guy to go and warm up.
"Afterwards, we talked about it in the dressing room. He told us it had to stay between us. Then he spilled the beans in the press conference right afterwards.
"But I never refused to go in, and I even have witnesses, teammates, who are ready to testify.
"The club has lodged a complaint against me. They're demanding 20 million euros in damages and a 50% pay cut until the end of the season. All without playing, and now they want to work out a deal for me to play again.
"They wanted to blame me and now they want mediation."
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The 27-year-old initially joined the club on loan before making his stay permanent at the beginning of this season from Villarreal, in a deal worth €14.4 million (R292 million),
Prior to his exile, he had registered four goals in 18 matches in all competitions this season. Overall, he has scored 20 goals in 51 games since signing for the Italian side.
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