French club Lyon demotes Marcelo after locker room incident

Posted August 17, 2021 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LYON, France (AP) - French club Lyon demoted center-back Marcelo to the reserve squad on Tuesday in response to his 'œinappropriate behavior'ť after the team lost on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Brazilian scored an own goal in a 3-0 loss to Angers that left Lyon with just one point from two matches.

'œThe inappropriate behavior of Marcelo in the locker room after the match in Angers justifies this decision, which was taken unanimously by Olympique Lyonnais' management team,'ť the club said on its website.

French media reported the sides were negotiating a settlement to terminate Marcelo's contract. The team did not provide details of Marcelo's alleged behavior.

'œOlympique Lyonnais' management reiterates that all of its players must demonstrate an unwavering mindset and a commitment to quickly return to recording results in line with the club's ambitions,'ť the team said.

Lyon had high hopes after a fourth-place finish last season and said it was 'œworking on several specific recruitment targets, in close consultation with coach Peter Bosz.'ť

Bosz, dismissed by German team Bayer Leverkusen in March, said after Sunday's match that his players were 'œdoing their own thing'ť and that he 'œdidn't see a team that wanted to win.'ť

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