During an interview with the media Oh My Goal, Mamadou Niang revealed behind the scenes of his departure from Olympique de Marseille to Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2010. The former striker denies having left the Marseille club of his own free will and designates the sole responsible: the president at the time, Jean-Claude Dassier.
“I felt good at OM. I didn’t want to leave. But the problem was the president. A clown. He didn’t even know the players. I don’t know how he managed to be there. OM. What hurts me is that it happens when all the foundations are put in place by Pape Diouf and it is he who reaps the benefits. One day, he confused me with Kaboré when I I was the captain of the team and everyone knew me at the club,” said the Senegalese.
“With Deschamps, we had agreed on a salary increase, something that I think I had deserved after five years at OM, but Dassier said ‘no, he’s too old, we don’t have money’. Too old for what? We are champions of France, I finished top scorer and I’m the 2nd best passer. So I left, no worries. (…) But afterwards, Dédé Gignac and Loc Rémy arrived for 18 and 15 million euros. What they refused me, they gave to Dédé. You can understand that I can be upset when I had proven “, added Niang.
