Around three weeks ago, their time at Olympique Marseille came to an end after Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe clashed in the dressing room. Now they face a reunion.
It happened on the first matchday of the French Ligue 1, after Olympique Marseille lost 1-0 to Stade Rennes in their opening game: Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe are said to have had a heated argument in the dressing room. As a result, both players were suspended by “OM” and put on the transfer list.
Rabiot then signed with Milan on the last day of the summer transfer window, while Rowe had moved to FC Bologna a few days earlier. And as fate would have it, the two quarrelers are “threatened” with a reunion on the third match day of Serie A, as Milan hosts Bologna on Sunday evening (8:30 p.m.).
“One of the most fateful encounters of the year,” headlined Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the clash: “It is difficult—but not impossible—that both will be in the starting lineup and have to shake hands before kickoff.”
“Unbelievable, brutal, aggressive and beyond all limits”
Both players are still waiting to make their competitive debut for their new clubs, so it is not certain whether they will take to the field together at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium at kick-off. But if they do, it remains to be seen how they will interact with each other. After all, they would have to shake hands before kick-off – something that seemed unthinkable just three weeks ago, according to statements from those involved.
“What happened was extremely serious and violent, something I have never experienced before,” OM president Pablo Longoria said in an AFP interview at the time about the incident: “I wasn’t in the dressing room,” Longoria said, “but from what I’ve been told, it was unbelievable, brutal, aggressive and beyond all limits.”
Rabiot plays down incident: “He’s a nice guy”
Rabiot was officially presented by Milan on Friday – and played down the altercation with Rowe: “What happened is a matter for the dressing room, these things can happen,” said the French international. Rabiot went on to say that he and Rowe had since been in contact and had talked things through. The 30-year-old is therefore looking forward to Sunday in a relaxed mood: “It will be nice to see him again, he’s a nice guy.”
