Former Liverpool defender, Mamadou Sakho leaves Montpellier after being suspended by the club for ‘grabbing his manager and knocking him to the floor’

Former Liverpool defender, Mamadou Sakho has left Montpellier with immediate effect after his physical altercation with manager Michel Der Zakarian.

According to L’Equipe, Sakho grabbed Der Zakarian by the collar and knocked him to the ground in front of several witnesses during a training ground bust-up.

The confrontation was said to have been sparked when Sakho was not given a foul by Der Zakarian during training and the Armenian called him a ‘cry baby’, 

This got Sakho angry and proceeded to leave the training pitch after layers and staff members quickly stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Sakho was banned by the club following the incident and risked facing the sack.

The 33-year-old released a statement on Thursday, October 2, confirming his exit, but maintained his innocence in the altercation, refusing to accept the blame.

‘You have to know how to leave the table when respect is no longer served,’ the statement began.

‘Following the incident that took place last week at the training centre and for which I decline all responsibility, I have decided, on this day of 11/2/2023, to ending my collaboration with Montpellier Herault Sports Club.

‘I spent two years in this family club where I took pleasure to share my high-level experience with my teammates and my ‘little brothers’ from the centre of training. At the same time, I think them for their support flawless as well as the medical stuff without forgetting the supporters who appreciated my time at the club.

‘Thanks also to the sports director Bruno Carotti for his loyalty to me throughout my adventure [at] Montpellier.

‘Finally, I wanted to give a special thanks to the president, Laurent Nicollin, who, like his late father did before him, heads the MHSC with the values and principles that are dear to me.

‘We met as men, let’s leave as men. Happy end of the season, Mamadou Sakho.’

Sakho joined Montpellier in 2021 from Crystal Palace after eight years playing in the Premier League – three-and-a-half with Liverpool and four-and-a-half with Palace.

He made 155 appearances combined for the two clubs before moving back to his homeland in France, making 45 appearances for the Ligue 1 side in just over two years.