Former Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has had a whirlwind few weeks that have ended with his contract at Turkish club Besiktas ripped up, after he was left out the first-team and threatened with a curse.
The Ivory Coast international left Old Trafford back in September after spending the whole of last term on loan in France with Marseille, bringing an ended to his stint with the Premier League giants.
At the start of November, Bailly was caught in a bust-up with his own team-mate Tayfur Bingol midway through Besiktas’ league clash at Antalyaspor, where the visitors suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat.
Bailly blamed the altercation with Bingol on ‘competitive tension’ and was duly hooked at half-time following an on-pitch argument.
He would play only 27 more minutes of football in November, before things went from bad to worse at the start of December.
Eric Bailly has had his contract at Besktas ripped up after a whirlwind stint at the Turkish club
The Ivory Coast star arrived in Turkey in September after leaving Manchester United
Bailly posted a picture of himself in Istanbul three days before the news broke that his contract had been ripped up
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According to the Daily Mirror, the player revealed that he had become the victim of a curse against him, stemming from claims that an agent was owed money from his transfer to the Turkish giants.
During Besiktas’ 3-1 defeat to rivals Fenerbahce he was sent a message on WhatsApp promising to curse him, before giving away a penalty in the following game.
After his misfortunes he is thought to have received another message which read: ‘I am happy to see what my curse is doing to you. You are not a man. You are a big Mickey Mouse.’
Another message included: ‘I will not let you f*** me in my own country. You will see what happens after I open a fraud case against you.’
Bailly’s agent, his uncle Severin Bohui said of the situation: ‘He’s not stopped sending him threats, messages and blackmails. He is insinuating Eric owes him some money, because he was part of the people who brokered his move to Besiktas. Therefore Eric should pay him some money.
‘I asked Eric if he signed any intermediation contract with this guy, he said no. I also asked the club if they knew this guy or if they asked him to speak to Eric on their behalf, they also said no. Same old story of agents trying to barge in deals.
‘One thing is for sure this guy has not stopped harassing Eric. He even sent him a message today after their defeat to Fenerbahce. He’s threatening to send people out to him so I don’t think blocking him will solve the problem. This is more of a security issue than a FIFA one.’
Then at the start of December it emerged that Bailly was one of five senior players who had been exiled from the first-team, with Besiktas citing issues with team compatibility and poor performances.
Former Man United defender Bailly confronted Besiktas team-mate Tayfur Bingöl just moments before half-time of their clash against Antalyaspor
Bailly later took to Instagram to apologise to his manager, team-mates and the Besiktas fans
Bailly spent the whole of the 2022-23 season on loan at Marseille with his Man United career seemingly over
Alongside Bailly were Vincent Aboubakar, Rachid Ghezzal, Jean Onana and Valentin Rosier, with the quintet forced to train away from the senior side, although their contracts were at that point still intact.
Bailly is also managed by Rafaela Pimenta, who said at the time: ‘We are shocked and it took us by surprise.
‘We are preparing our reaction since we know Eric has done nothing wrong.
‘The player’s rights are being violated and we will make sure to protect him.’
One of the arguments against his being ostracised was that it was harsh to judge his performances as poor given that he had been struggling with injuries.
But that exile would last less than three weeks more, with Bailly ultimately seeing his contract ripped up by the club on Friday, accompanied by a curt statement.
‘The contract with Eric Bailly, the player of our first team, has been terminated by mutual agreement,’ Besiktas said. ‘We wish Eric Bailly success in his career. Regards. Besiktas JK.’
Not three days before the announcement was made that he would no longer be at the club Bailly had taken to social media to post a picture of himself still in Istanbul with the caption: ‘Just keep moving forward.
Bailly had signed a one-year deal with the Turkish giants after leaving Man United in the summer
He would make just eight appearances in an injury-stricken spell in the Turkish capital
‘Happy holidays to all. I hope everyone has been able to enjoy a few days of peace and happiness with your loved ones.’
On his arrival at the Turksih Super Lig outfit, he came straight into the Besiktas side playing 84 minutes in the Conference League in the first of eight appearances.
However his time in Turkey became punctuated with injuries, suffering problems with his hamstring, neck and shoulder as the fitness issues that plagued his time at United threatened to return.
Villarreal have been linked with a move to bring the defender back to the LaLiga side, and reports suggested that manager Marcelino was keen to sign the Ivorian with the club thought to have been pushing for his signature since last week.
