Jesse Marsch did not hold back on the Call It What You Want podcast, calling Roberto De Zerbi a “real, real a**hole” over how he treated Ismael Koné at Marseille. Koné’s own version is less explosive and, in one important sense, more useful: he says the argument was about football ideas, not personal hate, and that the two have already met in London, hugged and talked as if nothing had happened.
Why the clash happened
Koné’s explanation is pretty plain. “We are two people who love football, but with two different visions,” he said. “He truly has an incredible passion. At that time, I was having some difficulties and probably wasn't able to give him what he wanted right away.”
He was even more direct about the football specifics. “He wants one or two touches in the middle of the pitch, but I need some freedom. I want to look for the play. He knew it, but that day he got angry.” That is a tactical disagreement, not a long-running personal feud.
The hard edge to the story came from the training-ground incident itself. De Zerbi allegedly told Koné to call his agent and find a new club after the argument at Marseille, and footage later showed the exchange on camera in the club’s behind-the-scenes documentary. Marseille were 7th in Ligue 1 on 53 points, with recent form of LDLWL, so the setting was tense enough without needing to exaggerate what happened.
Why the story is settled now
Koné says the matter is already behind them. “I met Roberto, and he gave me a big hug. We talked about so many things, as if nothing had happened,” he said. “Sometimes social media and the media make everything too big.”
That is the part that matters most here. Marsch’s blast will grab the headlines, but Koné is the one who closes the loop, and he does it clearly. The dispute got heated, De Zerbi pushed him hard, Koné pushed back, and the two have since spoken in London and moved on.
There is also a football angle that helps explain why Koné sounds calmer now. Sassuolo are 10th in Serie A on 49 points after 35 matches, and Koné has six goals this season. He has landed in a better rhythm, in a side getting enough results to make the Marseille episode feel like a closed chapter rather than an active grievance.
Marsch may have wanted to defend a player who came through a rough spell, but Koné’s own account is the one that should shape this story. The incident was sharp, even ugly at the time, yet the player involved says the relationship is already repaired, and there is no evidence in the brief that it is anything more than that now.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
