Marseille fan goes on hunger strike in bid to get flop footballer to leave club
Have you ever been so desperate for a player to leave your club that you went on hunger strike at their training ground? One Marseille fan thought it was a good idea.
The loan fan was spotted with a makeshift cardboard sign outside the gates of the Robert Louis-Dreyfus entertainment centre, also known as La Commanderie, following Sunday's 2-2 draw against Stasbourg in which Leonardo Balerdi saw red.
With the word 'dehors', meaning out, written three times on the cardboard sign, it also said that he would be beginning a hunger strike to try and get his way.
READ MORE: Marseille fans rush back into stadium after 90+6 equaliser – but it ends in heartbreak
It continued: "Le peuple Marseilles ne veut plus de toi." Which translates as: "The people of Marseille don't want you anymore." Concluding with: "Respect nous merci."
The 24-year-old, an Argentina international who joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, is contracted at the club until the summer of 2026.
L'Equipe journalist Mathieu Gregoire shared the images on his Twitter account, while defending Balerdi and pointing towards the performance of the team as a whole.
Have you ever wanted a player to leave your club so badly that you'd go on strike? Tell us in the comments section below.
An accompany clip showed members of staff talking to the fan while reading his sign – while looking rather confused by his methods.
Following a long ball over the top in the 29th minute of Sunday's fixture, Balerdi was adjudged to have pulled on the shirt of his opponent to be shown a straight red by referee Jeremie Pignard.
With the scores level when Balerdi was dismissed, goals from former Premier League stars Chancel Mbemba and Alexis Sanchez gave the host a lead to hold on to at the Velodrome.
However, goals in the 88th and 89th minutes from Jean-Eudes Aholou handed Strasbourg a point, with Marseille now 10 points behind Ligue 1 leaders PSG.
Manager Igor Tudor said after the match: "No. For me, what makes the difference in this match is the non-existent red card.
"The referee made a mistake because he didn’t understand the difference that I experienced as a player, between simply being touched and really being pushed."
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