Rabat - AS Roma President James Pallota has voiced his criticism against former defender Mehdi Benatia, accusing him of lying about wanting to remain with the Stadio Olimpico side, according to media reports.
Benatia, who left Roma to join Bavarian giants Bayern Munich last month, said on Monday that big clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona also wanted to sign him but his preference was to stay with the Serie A club, who he claims wanted to sell him to make profit.
Pallota responded to Benatia "furiously" saying that the player continues with his "pattern of outright lies over the last couple of months."
"We had a verbal agreement on compensation and a raise back in July in Boston. He personally said to me that he was happy after I told him flat out with no exceptions that we wanted him to stay," the Roma President said in a statement released on the club's official website.
"Over the following month he lied about wanting to stay and about the details of his compensation to both Rudi Garcia and his team-mates," he added
"Lying to me was one thing which I can somewhat handle. Lying to Rudi Garcia and his team-mates was completely unacceptable to me.
"I told [sporting director] Walter Sabatini he was becoming poisonous and I wanted him gone, and Rudi and Walter agreed."
Benatia spent only one season with the Giallorossi after joining from Udinese in 2013 for an estimated 13, 5 million euros.
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