Triple bonus at MHSC against Nantes: “It’s nonsense”, responds Montpellier coach Michel Der Zakarian

Michel Der Zakarian et Laurent Nicollin ont tous deux réfuté l’idée d’une “triple prime” face au FC Nantes. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

Facing the media this Wednesday, April 24, the Hérault coach wanted to respond to information reporting a significantly increased bonus against Nantes on Friday.

"I wanted to say something". Wednesday morning, Michel Der Zakarian waited for the end of the press conference. The MHSC coach had a truth to establish and assertions to challenge. "It’s nonsense", the technician hissed.

The day before, La Chaîne L’Équipe journalist Bertrand Latour had claimed that a "triple bonus" would be granted to Hérault players in the event of success against Nantes, Friday.

A reward largely increased, according to our colleague, due to the rivalry maintained by the coach with his former president at the FCN, Waldemar Kita. "The best way to motivate the players and hope that Der Zakarian beats his former employers, the triple bonus", explained Bertrand Latour on the set from L’Équipe de Choc.

"It’s not Der Zakarian who decides match bonuses"

The response, therefore, was not long in coming. "I wanted to say something about what came out on social networks, with our friend Bertrand Latour. What he says is nonsense to me, it’s nonsense, said Michel Der Zakarian. It’s not Der Zakarian who decides the match bonuses, it’s the president who decides if he wants to double. It’s the president who pays. It's not me, don't worry."

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"Your colleague, he should know things well before speaking, continued Der Zak. When the president doubled the bonus, it was for last weekend, not for Nantes. I say it again, Nantes is a club at heart, I was trained there, I grew up there with them. If I'm here today, it's because they made me work well. I have a lot of respect for this club."

"He's got it all wrong"

"(Bertrand Latour) is completely wrong or is someone spoke in the locker room to this gentleman and he misunderstood Laurent Nicollin's words", concluded Michel Der Zakarian.

Earlier, President Laurent Nicollin had confirmed to us that no "triple bonus" n’ had been considered. But that part of that promised to Reims was conditional on a success against Nantes.