Marseille must reinstate Chancel Mbemba if one condition is met | OneFootball

Olympique de Marseille may be forced to bring back suspended defender Chancel Mbemba (30) to their first-team squad in the near future.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has ordered the nine-time Ligue 1 champions to reinstate Mbemba to the squad on one condition. In August, RMC Sport reported that OM had suspended the Congolese defender following an incident in training.

Mbemba allegedly acted inappropriately towards members of the Marseille management team, leading to his suspension. As a result, he was forced to train with the reserves, a decision the ex-Porto defender reportedly did not take well.

Over the summer, the new OM manager, Roberto De Zerbi, told Mbemba, Jordan Veretout (31), and Samuel Gigot (30) to find new clubs.

Veretout signed with Lyon earlier this month, while Gigot was loaned to Lazio in Serie A with a conditional obligation to buy in late August.

There was reportedly an offer made by Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabab to purchase the Kinshasa-born defender for €4m, plus a €2m bonus.

That bid was rejected by Mbemba, who was seeking a salary of €5m with a €3m bonus, and neither side was willing to compromise.

Reports indicate that the former Newcastle United defender missed two medical appointments this month because of distrust in the OM medical team.

That could leave Mbemba subject to dismissal for what may be considered serious misconduct, which, if confirmed, would mean the club wouldn’t have to bring him back.

It was in July 2022 when Mbemba signed a three-year contract to join Les Phocéens on a free transfer from Porto.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre