According to a report by La Provence, Rayan Hassad (18) was suspended by Olympique de Marseille as a precautionary measure after he wished Chancel Mbemba (30) happy birthday on Instagram. Mbemba himself was suspended by the club last week following an incident during training where he was accused of demonstrating poor behaviour towards a member of the club’s management.
La Provence writes that Hassad wishing “happy birthday cousin” to the Congolese international was the final straw in a number of complaints raised by the club, with the term “cousin” thought to be a reference to the incident causing Mbemba’s suspension.
In a letter sent to the reserves player by the club, confirming his suspension, the happy birthday message was allegedly one of the reasons for the sanction alongside, an accusation that Hassad insulted a fellow teammate and delayed in or refused to carry out the instructions of a club official.
Rayan Hassad issues an apology to Marseille for his happy birthday story
Hassad posted on his Instagram story today apologising for his actions, the teenager wrote: “I was indeed suspended as a precautionary measure by Olympique de Marseille following an Instagram story where I wished a teammate a happy birthday.”
He continued, “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.”
