Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 6y

Henri Bedimo: Marseille sacking in the summer was for 'fake' reason

Henri Bedimo has described Marseille's reason for sacking him this summer as "fake."

After two seasons at the Ligue 1 club, Cameroon international defender Bedimo was barred from the training ground 24 hours before preseason preparations were due to begin.

Marseille told Bedimo the fact that his former club Montpellier were associated with his academy in Douala had been the reason for their decision, but the player hit out at that claim.

"It's a fake reason," he told RMC. "My lawyer has all the elements. I had said it, I didn't hide anything. What makes me sad is that I saw it coming.

"There was a time when I thought I was going to play. Actually, [coach] Rudi Garcia told me that in terms of commitment and work, I was irreproachable. They are making me out to be a cheat -- I have values.

"When I learned what they were reproaching me [for], I thought it was a joke. I've been the ambassador of this academy since 2007 and I was still in Ligue 2.

"There was a move closer to Montpellier in 2012 when I was there, and that relationship intensified in 2016 with the club officially supporting me in the project."

Bedimo helped Montpellier win the Ligue 1 title in 2011-12 and played for them in the Champions League the following campaign before joining Lyon and then Marseille, for whom he made only three appearances last season.

"When I signed for Marseille, if it was about the money I would have signed for a Turkish club," he said. "I joined Marseille with a lot of ambition. I could have gone abroad. I believed in the project."

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