OM: Rowe opens up about his altercation with Rabiot

In an interview with Corriere di Bologna, Jonathan Rowe reflected on his altercation with Adrien Rabiot last August at OM. It was a defining moment that precipitated the departure of both players, though the English winger harbours no ill will.

The incident set the tone for Olympique de Marseille’s turbulent season. On 15 August, following a 1-0 defeat to Rennes on the opening day of Ligue 1, tensions had risen in the Marseille dressing room and a fight had broken out between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe.

Shocked by this altercation, described by then-president Pablo Longoria as “extremely serious and violent”, Marseille’s management subsequently put both players on the transfer market. They eventually moved to Italy’s Serie A: Rabiot signed for AC Milan, whilst Rowe joined Bologna.

J. Rowe – “In life, everything happens for a reason”

In an interview with Corriere di Bologna, the English winger reflected on this highly publicised incident. He explained that he has moved on and harbours no ill will towards his former teammate. “I don’t hold it against him,” he insists. “We’re adults; sometimes we get carried away by our emotions, but we shake hands and move on.”

“It may have happened to others, but it wasn’t made public,” continues the former Norwich winger, who takes it all in his stride. “In life, everything happens for a reason: ultimately, that episode has brought me to where I am today.” That is to say, in Bologna, where he has scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 34 matches across all competitions (22 starts).

Rowe speaks of “a lot of pressure”

A conciliatory tone that echoes that of Rabiot, who stated back in September that tensions had eased. “What happened, happened. There’s nothing special about Rowe. We even spoke when he left for Bologna and I arrived here,” the French international explained during his presentation at AC Milan, revealing that they had even written to each other “to wish each other good luck” and describing the Englishman as a “good bloke”.

In this interview, Rowe also explains that his experience at Marseille, overall, “wasn’t easy”. The reason? “There was a lot of pressure, both internal and external. Every little detail was blown out of proportion,” recalls the London-born player. “And then De Zerbi changed the system, which didn’t help me,” he continues, without holding a grudge against the Italian coach, who has also left Marseille. “He was the one who encouraged me to choose Marseille: I like his style of play, I’ve learnt a lot and I wish him all the best at Tottenham.” Rowe really isn’t one to hold a grudge.