A footballer in one of Europe's top five leagues is now reported to have physically attacked his club manager after the coach taunted him by calling him a "crybaby".
Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho is said to be facing serious trouble after manhandling his boss at Montpellier during a dressing-room bust-up, according to L'Equipe.
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It is claimed the centre-back became agitated during a training session at the club's Grammont centre on Tuesday after he was not awarded a foul by his manager Michel Der Zakarian, resulting in the player storming off the pitch.
The head coach was said to be incensed by that reaction and later confronted the 33-year-old in the dressing room, reportedly telling Sakho that it was not up to him to decide how and when he trains.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star is believed to have responded by telling his boss he was a calm presence in the squad despite being restricted to a fringe role this season.
It is claimed Der Zakarian then called the 29-time France international a "crybaby", which infuriated Sakho to the point where he grabbed the tactician by the collar and threw him to the dressing-room floor, with Ligue 1 insider Mohamed Toubache-Ter claiming that Der Zakarian broke his necklace during the scuffle.
Responding to L'Equipe's report on the incident, Toubache-Ter said: "You are very quick and what you relay in this brief is TRUE.
"MDZ said 'Mamad, you are a crybaby', Mamad Sakho [attacked] him and broke the family chain that the coach wears around his neck... which provoked immense anger from the coach."
After being asked for comment on the matter, Der Zakarian's camp told the French outlet he had "nothing to say".
Sakho will be out of contract in June 2024, and the incident is thought to be the last straw that could see his Montpellier career being cut short.
This is not the defender's first fallout with a manager, with there being extensive reports suggesting that he fell out with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool too.
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Sakho was accused of breaching several team rules during that period at Anfield, resulting in him being frozen out of the team and even being sent home during a pre-season tour by the German boss before ultimately being sold to Crystal Palace.
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