Dugarry: Malik Fofana's Move to Sunderland Was Influenced by Family and Money

Christophe Dugarry made no attempt to hide his disgust at reports surrounding Malik Fofana's transfer from Lyon to Sunderland. On RMC's program "Rothen s’enflamme," the 1998 World Cup champion strongly criticized the influence of people around the Belgian young international regarding his new destination.

Malik Fofana also had the opportunity to join Crystal Palace, where he would have reunited with his former Lyon coach Pierre Sage, but he ultimately chose Sunderland. This choice was reportedly influenced by commissions for his agent and people close to him, with his uncle receiving 500,000 euros from the deal. Dugarry accused them, saying: "The outrageous attitude clearly came from the family. It is shameful and unimaginable. Your first conversation with a player should be: where do you want to go? The player's wishes are the most important thing."

The former France forward also believes that Malik Fofana is introverted and perhaps, due to lacking a sufficiently strong attitude, was unable to stand by his own choice in front of those around him. Jerome Rothen also pointed out that the person who signs and confirms the contract is always the player himself, while criticizing the excessive role money plays in some career decisions. Dugarry extended his criticism to the current way football operates and its financial problems, comparing it with recent controversies surrounding Infantino. He said: "When even Infantino is preparing to sell football to the highest bidder, how can you expect family members not to reach out to a club willing to give 500,000 euros?" He then concluded: "Today's football, in some respects, is truly disgusting, although I would not say that this situation has never existed before."