Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has reportedly been suspended by Montpellier following an alleged attack on his manager after training on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old, who joined the French side in 2021, is now under investigation by the club and is reportedly at risk of being sacked.
According to L’Equipe, Sakho grabbed Michel 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 sparked when Sakho was not given a foul by Der Zakarian during training, and proceeded to leave the training pitch.
Der Zakarian is alleged to have responded to Sakho walking off by the telling the 29-cap French international that the session was ‘not à la carte’.
This remark angered Sakho who reacted by knocking Der Zakarian to the ground.
Players and staff members quickly stepped in to prevent the situation escalating further, while Der Zakarian was left furious, banging on the walls and doors to let his frustration out.
Neither Sakho nor Der Zakarian were willing to speak further on the matter to L’Equipe, but it has now been reported by the same publication that the defender has been suspended and will now face a hearing with the club sometime next week.
It has been claimed that Sakho was informed of his suspension early on Wednesday morning, which prevented him from training as normal.
Sakho could potentially be dismissed for serious misconduct if the club find that he acted inappropriately as part of their internal investigation.
He was told he was no longer part of Der Zakarian’s plans in the summer, but was unable to get a transfer elsewhere.
The Frenchman has made just one brief substitute appearance in the league this term and that could yet prove to be his final outing for the club.
Montpellier have had a difficult start to the season having picked up just nine points from their opening eight games to leave them 14th in the table.