Ligue 1: Bordeaux Players Refuse To Train In Support Of Manager Gus Poyet, Sacked Hours After Furious Transfer Rant

Chris Wright

17th, August 2018

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Bordeaux players refused to train on Friday morning after hearing that their manager Gus Poyet had been fired almost overnight.

Poyet criticised the Bordeaux board for selling players without his consent during a press conference on Thursday and, rather than address the situation calmly, the club decided to call the Uruguayan’s bluff and sack him.

Specifically, Poyet was moaning about the departure of striker Gaetan Laborde to Montpellier, with the coach only finding out his player had left on the morning of Bordeaux’s Europa League qualifier against Mariupol.

The French side went onto register a 2-1 home win, but Poyet was fuming after the game, telling the assembled media:

No, I am not happy, It is one of my worst days at the club. What the club have done with Laborde is a disgrace.

I think we have to stop here. I told the club not to let him leave until we had bought someone else. They have not recruited and they let Laborde go. I arrived at 11.35am. Laborde was not here. He was in Montpellier. Nobody told me anything.

I want to talk to my agent and I am going to make a decision. I don’t know how this is going to finish. Do I have the desire to continue? No. They have done that against me, against the players and the supporters.

I need an explanation from the club: from the owner or the president. They are going to explain to me tomorrow (Friday) and we will see if I carry on or not. Am I going to resign? I don’t know.

Helpfully, Bordeaux’s executives went and made the decision on Poyet’s behalf, with L’Equipe reporting that the club decided to dismiss him after a 10-minute meeting at the Haillian training ground on Friday morning.

However, that doesn’t appear to be the end of it, with L’Equipe also confirming that Bordeaux players subsequently refused to train in a show of solidarity for their ousted, though obviously popular coach:

Scheduled for 9:30am, the training session of Bordeaux has not started. Several players have refused to train following the layoff of Poyet.

As things stand, Poyet will be replaced by long-serving first-team coach Eric Bedouet on the Bordeaux bench for Sunday’s impending trip to Toulouse.

Whether or not he actually has any players to pick a team from remains to be seen.

Posted in Ligue 1, Managers

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2 Comments

  1. Straight Dave says:

    A bunch of Frenchmen going on strike. Surely not?!?!?!?!?!?!

  2. VieuxSang says:

    Imperious owners, It goes with the territory.

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