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Eric Bailly’s agent has claimed that the Ivorian’s rights are being violated by his current team, Besiktas.
According to the BBC, the Besiktas’ defender’s representative, Rafaela Pimenta, has responded angrily to the news that Bailly is one of five players to be dropped from the Turkish team’s squad.
The Peoples Person relayed the news yesterday that the former Manchester United defender would be dropped from the Super Lig side’s playing staff.
Furthermore, it was reported this morning that having been left out, the central defender has suitors in England and may complete a sensational return to English football after only a few months away.
The BBC article claims that Besiktas have defended the move by stating that the Ivory Coast international player has been removed from the first team squad due to “poor performance” and “incompatibilities within the team”.
The side, who play at the Tüpraş Stadyumu, have had a poor season and currently lie fifth in the league table. They have also been eliminated from the Europa Conference League, picking up a meagre one point from five group games.
Pimenta has obviously taken exception to the Turkish club’s response to his client’s poor form. The agent claimed, “We are shocked and it took us by surprise”.
The representative went on to state, “We are preparing our reaction since we know Eric has done nothing wrong. The player’s rights are being violated and we will make sure to protect him.”
Bailly has not had his contract cancelled but has been made to train away from the senior team alongside four other players, Vincent Aboubakar, Rachid Ghezzal, Jean Onana and Valentin Rosier.
New Besiktas president Hasan Arat defended the Istanbul side’s drastic actions by asserting, “Our number one priority is to build a better team – we will fill the holes in our squad during the [winter] break.”
Bailly has had a crazy start to life in Turkey as he has already been in a bust-up with a teammate and suffered a familiar fate of injury.
It does seem a tad extreme to ostracise the player for poor form alone and it will be fascinating to see if Pimenta can successfully defend his client and possibly seek legal action against the Turkish club.