Rochdale midfielder Bastien Hery has apologised to the club's fans for any confusion after denying he had described the town as "a dump - gloomy and grey" in an interview published by a French magazine.
Hery, 22, and the club claim his comments published in the French magazine on January 30 had been incorrectly translated when the article was published online by an English national newspaper.
A club statement read: " Following an online article published by a national newspaper over the weekend regarding comments made by midfielder Bastien Hery, the club and the player have moved to clarify the situation.
"The interview was conducted by a French magazine on January 19 and later published on January 30 - Bastien has not spoken to any other publication.
"The article has subsequently been picked up over the weekend by the national paper, resulting in other media outlets following suit. However, the original article has not only been taken out of context, it has also been translated incorrectly.
"It has been claimed that the Frenchman labelled Rochdale as "a dump - gloomy and grey" but a simple translation has shown that nowhere in the original article does Bastien make such a comment.
"We are extremely disappointed, as is Bastien, that an interview, which focuses on the positives of his time at Rochdale, has been mistranslated in this way."
Paris-born Hery, who joined Rochdale from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer in June 2013, has made 22 appearances for the club this season.
He told the club's official website: "I want to apologise for any confusion that has been caused because I didn't say what has been written over the weekend.
"I did the interview for a French magazine and I would never say anything like that about Rochdale - the club or the town.
"Rochdale is my first club and I love it because it has made me what I am now.
"And I love the fans because it's a real family club - everyone is close together. When I got here they were all so nice to me, so I'm really disappointed that what I have said has been taken the wrong way."
Source: PA
