According to L'Equipe, Sassuolo's Daryl Bacora recounted the conflict in Marseille's dressing room in the summer of 2025.
According to L'Equipe, Sassuolo's Daryl Bacora has reflected on the conflict in the Marseille dressing room in the summer of 2025. The midfielder, a product of Marseille's youth academy, recently spoke to an Italian website about the brawl that completely rifted the Marseille dressing room. Now in Italy, Bacora hasn't fully adapted to the "sweet life" here, but he has clearly found peace.
Despite having played only six games since joining Sassuolo in February, the 18-year-old is now able to focus steadily on his development.
In contrast, his first few months at his parent club Marseille were not peaceful, until the match at Rennes Park on August 15, 2025, when everything became irreparable.
That night, Roberto De Zerbi's team struggled to digest their first defeat of the season after a 0-1 loss to Rennes, and emotions spiraled out of control in the locker room. At the heart of the conflict, Adrian Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe got into a physical altercation in the locker room. According to then-club president Paulo Longoria, the violence was "extremely excessive" and "crossed all lines." Meanwhile, Bacola, who came on as a substitute late in the game, also experienced discomfort.
Nearly a year later, the young midfielder briefly spoke about the experience in an interview with Sassuolo's news website. Bacola said, "I don't like to think about those moments, although when I joined the team, it was all over. I did feel a little uncomfortable afterwards, but it wasn't a big deal. I was just slightly shaken by it."
Now, Bacola faces competition for a place at Sassuolo from his former Marseille teammate Ismail Kone, who suffered a serious injury while playing for Canada at the World Cup. Bacola hopes to earn the trust of new manager Alberto Accarelli and has set a target of "at least 15 starts" for the 2026-2027 season.
During his time at Marseille, he made 12 appearances under Roberto de Zelbi. The coach also taught him to "fight for the jersey and to love it." "In Marseille, you're made to understand that you have to sweat and fight on the pitch because the whole stadium expects you to. The atmosphere at the Stade Villedrome is the best in the world; you have to be extremely focused when you play there. I remember my ears still hurting after the first match," he said with a laugh, six months after leaving Marseille.
