Marseille has taken the surprising step of suspending 18-year-old midfielder Rayan Hassad following a seemingly innocent social media post.
The young player wished his teammate, former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba, a happy birthday on Instagram, simply captioning a photo of the pair “Happy birthday cousin.” However, this innocuous message has led to disciplinary action.
The situation is further complicated by Mbemba’s own recent suspension. The Congolese international was previously suspended by the club after a clash with reserve team manager Ali Zarrak, stemming from repeated use of the term “cousin.”
Marseille has cited the ‘provocative nature of the message’, while other issues were reportedly communicated to the player in the letter informing him of the suspension. According to RMC Sport, Hassad’s suspension is a precautionary measure.
Hassad, who has only one year remaining on his contract, is currently part of the reserve team alongside Mbemba. The club is hoping for a better season after finishing eighth last year and kicks off their campaign against Brest this Saturday.
Hassad has publicly apologized for any offense caused, stating that his intention was simply to wish his teammate a happy birthday as he often does with others.
He posted on his Instagram story today: “I was indeed suspended as a precautionary measure by Olympique de Marseille following an Instagram story where I wished a teammate a happy birthday.
“I would like to clarify that at no time did I want to cause harm to my club and its management. It was a simple birthday message, as I usually do with other teammates. If I hurt someone, I apologise but know that this was never my intention.”
