A pre-season encounter between Marseille and Aston Villa descended into chaos on Saturday evening after Mason Greenwood allegedly 'spat' at Amadou Onana. The unsavoury incident triggered a violent confrontation during the match in France.
Villa's players reacted with fury to what they perceived as Greenwood spitting at their Belgian midfielder, who became their most expensive acquisition at £50million. The alleged act occurred in the 87th minute and immediately escalated tensions on the pitch.
Witnesses report that Onana instinctively touched his face and turned to appeal to referee Benoit Millot following the apparent spitting incident, which would prove the catalyst for the ensuing melee.
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Tyrone Mings immediately intervened as the 23-year-old Greenwood appeared to be smiling during the incident. The towering Villa defender, standing at 6ft 5in, seized Greenwood's collar and forcefully spun him around.
Mason Greenwood allegedly 'spat' at Amadou Onana
|Getty
The physical confrontation intensified as both Mings and Onana grappled with the former Manchester United player. During the scuffle, Greenwood's shirt was torn apart as multiple players became involved in the fracas.
The referee responded by issuing yellow cards to all three central figures - Greenwood, Mings and Onana. Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille's manager, promptly removed Greenwood from the pitch, substituting him immediately after the booking.
The confrontation originated when Greenwood brought down Onana with a rough challenge. After committing the foul, Greenwood proceeded to taunt the Villa midfielder before pushing him as he rose from the ground.
Onana immediately stood up to face Greenwood following the provocation. The England international Mings then entered the fray precisely as Greenwood's demeanour shifted from apparent amusement to the alleged spitting action.
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Mason Greenwood's shirt was ripped off during the altercation | GettyThe entire sequence unfolded rapidly in what had already been a heated encounter at the Stade Velodrome. The incident transformed a routine foul into a full-scale confrontation that required the referee's intervention to restore order.
The match concluded with Marseille securing a 3-1 victory, aided by a brace from substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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Greenwood had opened the scoring and provided an assist for Aubameyang, whilst John McGinn equalised for Villa before half-time.
The managers also clashed during the tempestuous fixture. Unai Emery confronted De Zerbi after Neal Maupay's challenge on Boubacar Kamara in stoppage time, prompting the Italian to defend his players.
Aston Villa lost the match 3-1 | Getty "Unai complained about my players and I didn't like that. It's up to me to talk to them," De Zerbi stated. He added: "The match was heated but that's what people came to see. They could have gone to the beach but they came to the Stade Velodrome."
Villa have chosen not to pursue additional sanctions, whilst UEFA lacks authority over friendly matches. Any disciplinary measures would depend on the French FA receiving details in the referee's match report.