Hibs defender Sol Bamba is upset by claims he’s AWOL from the club and has slammed the Hibees hierarchy for airing their grievence in public.
Bamba has been the subject of interest from French outfits PSG and Lille in recent weeks and his attack on the club has surely hastened his expected departure from Easter Road.
John Hughes had criticised the player for being selfish and disrepectful to the club following his apparent no-show for pre-season training earlier this week but the Ivorian has hit back angrily stating he had requested a three week break following the end of the World Cup where he disappointingly failed to make an appearance for The Elephants.
“I’ve had a whole lot of family and friends on the phone who have been worried something had happened to me after what they read in the newspapers,’ he told The Scotsman.
‘To be honest, I’m angry about the way the club has gone about making this public. I have never cheated anyone at Hibs, I’ve always given everything for the team. The manager knows that, too. I tried to speak with the manager and the chairman to explain the situation. My agent also phoned them to ask if I could have some extra time off.
‘Since last May, I haven’t had a break and I wanted to take about three weeks off after the World Cup to recharge.
‘I played something like 59 games for Hibs last season, plus the African Nations Cup and then in South Africa. Obviously, I didn’t play at the finals, but I was training hard every day over there and before the tournament to make sure I’d be 100 per cent ready if I got my chance. There was a lot of travelling involved, too. We were stuck in an airport for two days in Africa and I didn’t get back to Paris until 1 July.
‘Hibs were expecting me to return to Scotland barely ten days later on 12 July.
‘I don’t know why they now told the newspapers I was supposed to back on the 19th. I never agreed to that either. I’m very disappointed in the way the whole thing has come out.
‘I get back to Edinburgh at the weekend and I am looking forward to speaking to the club about everything that’s happened. I’ve even been working with a fitness coach in Paris to make sure I’m 100 per cent fit when I get back. I’m a Hibs player and I’ll come back and be ready to work as hard as ever for the club.
‘The manager knows me – he knows that. They may want to punish me with a fine, but that’s something we can speak about. I’ve done this because I think it’s the right thing.’
Bamba is sure to be disciplined by the club for his outburst and failure to appear for training although Hughes refused to discuss the situation following the friendly defeat against ADO Den Haag.
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