Andre Villas-Boas was "suspended" by Marseille on Tuesday after earlier offering to resign as coach at a press conference in which he revealed the Ligue 1 club signed midfielder Olivier Ntcham from Celtic against his wishes on transfer deadline day.
"This protective decision had become inevitable given the recent scheming and attitudes shown which have seriously damaged Olympique de Marseille as an institution," a club statement said.
The suspension is a likely first step towards Marseille definitively parting company with the 43-year-old from Portugal, who became coach at the Velodrome in 2019.
Yet Villas-Boas earlier said he wanted "nothing from OM, no money. I just want to leave."
He said his decision came after Ntcham, a 24-year-old former France Under-21 international, joined on loan from Celtic until the end of the season just before the winter transfer window closed.
Villas-Boas said he had not been in favour of the deal and knew nothing about it.
"The transfer window closed with the arrival of a new player on deadline day. It was not a decision that was taken by me. I had nothing to do with the decision," he said.
"I found out this morning when I woke up and looked at the press. I had specifically said no to that player and he was never on our list of targets.
"Because of that I have handed in my resignation to the board."
In their statement, Marseille described the coach's comments – aimed at the club's Spanish sporting director Pablo Longoria – as "unacceptable".
Villas-Boas, the former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, had already said last week that he expected to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season, with Marseille on a run of just one win in nine games in all competitions.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
