Diarra AWOL from Marseille pre-season training

18 July 2012 20:46

Marseille coach Elie Baup on Wednesday said that he still has no news of midfielder Alou Diarra, two days after the resumption of training.

"At the moment I can say that he hasn't been here for the first two days when he should have been. Every day he has been marked down as absent," Baup told a news conference.

"I left him a message on Monday. I told him, 'You know that we're really counting on you'. I haven't had a reply."

Former Bordeaux coach Baup, who took over from Didier Deschamps earlier this month, said that all the players had signed a form saying that they would be back for pre-season training on July 16.

Sanctions for Diarra's no-show was a matter for the club's management, he said but added that he was an essential part of the team.

"On a sporting level, he's a player I'm counting on obviously. We've got a lot of young players. They need to be with experienced players.

"He's one of them. He's a great player for Marseille and I'm counting on him."

Diarra was in France's Euro 2012 squad for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine last month.

Source: AFP