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Rabat – French club Toulouse FC has decided to dispense with the Moroccan international Zakaria Aboukhlal until the end of the current season, according to the French press.
According to the French website Foot Mercato, the club has finally decided to exclude the Moroccan player from its squads due to an alleged quarrel he had with the city of Toulouse’s deputy mayor in charge of sports.
The same source added that the French club seeks to make Aboukhlal leave next summer transfer window, despite his brilliant performance, as he scored 13 goals and provided 5 assists in 39 matches.
The decision comes after the French RMC channel claimed that Aboukhlal had entered into a verbal altercation with the deputy mayor of the city, Laurence Arribage.
Arribage reportedly asked FC Toulouse players to “make less noise during a speech” by the team’s head coach, Philippe Montanier.
According to the RMC Sport report, Aboukhlal “dismissed” the request of the deputy mayor, saying instead: “At home, women don’t talk like that to men.” Yet, Arribage herself has denied claims about Aboukhlal’s alleged remarks, telling RMC Sport that there “was no story” to be told about the reported incident.
Despite Arribage’s denial, the club decided to take action against the Moroccan football player, who is now not allowed to train with the squad pending the results of an investigation.
According to Foot Mercato, Aboukhlal is also planning to leave the French club.
The news comes a few days after the 23-year-old Moroccan player also faced harsh criticism and even verbal abuse due to his decision not to participate in an initiative to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Read also: Toulouse FC’s Players, Including Morocco’s Aboukhlal, Refuse LGBTQ+ Jerseys
