For anyone to have been surprised by the actions of Dimitri Payet, as he forced his way out of West Ham United, was to be naïve.
It was easy to be taken up by his football brilliance over the last 18 months. However, one thing is for sure, Payet’s head and legs have not always been at the equilibrium, as proved over the years.
With a professional career dating back to 1999, his loose- cannon streak should have been stemmed from the onset, to thwart the trouble West Ham has had with him.
Right from his early days as an emerging star from the Reunion island on the Indian Ocean, he proved to be a difficult lad. After four years in the reserve side of French team Le Havre, he was released in 2003. His attitude was considered bad with his indifference and lack of motivation a major put- off.
Yet Payet had no problem heading back to the third-world Reunion, to play in a lesser league for AS Excelsior. That speaks volumes of his mentality. While almost every emerging football player dreams of playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, Payet did not appear to see it that way.
This fed in well with Le Havre’s rhetoric that he lacked motivation, although not for long. His displays in the Island league got him back to France with Nantes in 2005, aged 18.
Yet, even there, although he signed a three-year contract heading into the 2006/2007 season, he put in a transfer request following at the end of that very season after the team’s relegation.
Loyalty, just like respect, was hardly Payet’s thing. When he left Nantes for Saint Etienne, he was involved in an on-field altercation with his teammate Blaise Matuidi in the 2009/2010 season. Payet actually punched Matuidi on the head during that incident.
While he later claimed to have put that scandal behind him, his future conduct suggested otherwise. In January 2011, when news was swirling that PSG were interested in him, he absconded from training at Saint Etienne for some time.
He wanted to force a move to the capital. But Saint Etienne stood its ground and relegated him to the reserves. That was a good punitive measure that needed to be followed up on, to put Payet in line. But he remains crooked Payet, as West Ham will attest. Not that Olympique Marseille, who just bought him for $25 million, see it that way.
However, the big problem lies in the fact that big teams such as Marseille can secure Payet’s services without question. Payet is a spoilt man that only thinks of himself. He is a time-bomb that will explode again.
The time has come for the likes of Payet to be put in their place. Discipline has always been a cornerstone for success in football. And no matter how good a player is, if he is lacking in discipline, he should be left to rot without a contract.
That would be a reality check for a guy like Payet and his ilk. He would be compelled to get his act together. And for Marseille not to see that, is terrible! Actually, Marseille is like a man who sways another man’s woman without the hindsight that she will leave him too. What goes round comes round. And for characters like Payet, they always have a high sense of self-regard.
A larger-than-life attitude has made Payet think that he is more important than the clubs he has been playing for. So, he can do as he pleases. He never changes, as has been the case for a few others. For example, why has Joey Barton been securing good contracts at different clubs with his dented track record?
Barton has been charged three times for violent conduct by the FA. He once punched his teammate Morten Gamst Pederson in the stomach. He assaulted Ousmane Dabo while at Manchester City and attacked three players on the final day of the 2011/2012 season.
Needless to say, back in 2008, Barton was sentenced to six months in prison for assault. However, he was released after 77 days. There was hope his discipline was going to improve.
But just recently, his contract with Rangers football club was terminated unceremoniously following his involvement in a training ground bust-up with teammate Andy Halliday, and also allegations that he took part in some betting scam.
Provided players who are rogues can continue being guaranteed contracts without question, clubs will continue suffering at their hands. So, instead of berating Payet, clubs like Marseille are the real problem for their actions that propagate lunacy.
jovi@observer.ug