Favre criticises Balotelli, Nice's transfer business after play-off exit
Lucien Favre didn’t hold back when talking with reporters following OGC Nice’s Champions League play-off exit Tuesday, singling out Mario Balotelli and the club’s board for criticism.
Favre, who was approached to succeed Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund in the summer, watched several of his players underperform as Napoli completed a 4-0 aggregate victory to reach the Champions League group stages at Nice’s expense.
“I don’t want to comment on Balotelli,” Favre told Brian Homewood from Reuters when asked of his view on what was a distracted and lethargic outing from the Italian marksman. “It wasn’t very satisfactory, it was not good enough.”
Favre added that Balotelli was too slow leaving the pitch when he was substituted.
The Balotelli incident that left Favre most irritated occurred when Jose Callejon made it 1-0 after 48 minutes. The former Manchester City and AC Milan striker wasn’t on the pitch, but instead rowing with the fourth official in the technical area. The arguing appeared to relate to him wearing a white bandage over jewellery on his wrist – which is outlawed in football.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Favre, perhaps ruing the job at Dortmund that could’ve been his, then hinted he was unimpressed with the support he has been given when trying to assemble a team that can compete in Europe’s elite club competition.
“To build, you have to replace the material that was there before. We have not replaced yet, far from it,” Favre complained to beIN Sports, as reported by Get French Football.
“It is difficult to find players 10 days before the end of the window, very difficult.”
So far in the summer transfer window, players have been signed relatively cheaply from fellow French teams, with the exception of Wesley Sneijder, who joined for free after a spell in Turkey. Going the other way have been Dalbert and Valentin Eysseric, both of whom shifted to Serie A, and rumours have stepped up in recent days that Jean Michael Seri is nearing a transfer to Barcelona.
Nice returns to action in Saturday’s Ligue 1 trip to Amiens SC – a match Seri declared his availability for – and will embark on another Europa League escapade from mid-September.
