Rabiot-Rowe dressing room fight lands them both on Marseilles transfer list

   When handbags descend into an all-out brawl, the fallout is predictable, especially when it occurs amongst teammates. Who can’t forget the sight of Newcastle teammates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer squaring up to each other during a match against Aston Villa.

But according to Marseille president Pablo Longoria, what happened between Adrien Rabiot (left) and Jonathan Rowe (right) in their dressing room makes the Bowyer-Dyer incident look like a middle school playground spat.

“What happened was extremely serious and extremely violent, something I’ve never encountered before,” Longoria told AFP. “Even in the worst punch-ups, there are rules. Not in this case.”

While the Bowyer/Dyer donnybrook lasted mere seconds, the Rabiot-Rowe confrontation crossed lines that seasoned football professionals had never seen before in the dressing room.

Things came to a boil after Marseille’s frustrating loss to Rennes, where they played with a man advantage for an hour yet still contrived to lose.

Sources indicate Rabiot, the 30-year-old France international, questioned Rowe’s commitment to the team. The 22-year-old England under-21 winger took exception, insults flew, and the situation escalated beyond the typical banter associated with the dressing room.

“I wasn’t in the dressing room but the staff who were told me it was incredible, violent, aggressive and went beyond any limits,” Longoria added, painting a picture that suggests this wasn’t just heated words or a quick shove.

Marseille’s response was swift and severe. Both players were immediately expelled from the first team and transfer-listed.