Footballer Mamadou Sakho risks getting sacked after he ‘grabbed manager by the collar and knocked him to the ground’ during training at Montpellier

Former Liverpool defender, Mamadou Sakho is at risk of being sacked by Montpellier after he reportedly attacked his manager Michel Der Zakarian after training on Tuesday evening. 

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 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’.

According to the report, the coach’s remark angered Sakho who reacted by knocking Der Zakarian to the ground. Players and staff members had to quickly step in to prevent the situation from escalating further. 

Neither Sakho nor Der Zakarian were willing to speak further on the matter to L’Equipe, but the former could now face serious punishment for his behaviour.

Sakho could potentially be dismissed for serious misconduct if the club finds that he acted inappropriately.

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 33-year-old French defender had an eight-year stay in the Premier League, spending four of those at Liverpool before leaving the Reds to join Crystal Palace in 2017.

He moved back to France to sign for Montpellier in 2021, but hasn’t played regularly for the Ligue 1 outfit.