French club Marseille sack Adil Rami for 'gross misconduct'

The Ligue 1 outfit gave no explanation for the decision, saying only that they had "decided to end the contract" of Rami, 33, part of France's 2018 World Cup winning squad.

L'Equipe sports daily, citing a letter sent by the club to Rami, said he had been sacked for 'gross misconduct' after he skipped training to take part in a TV reality show.

The defender, former partner of ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, had been under investigation since he missed the training sesion at the end of last season.

Rami, who has played two seasons for the club, said he was injured  but on the same day took part in the recording of a French TV show that included demanding physical stunts.

In July club president Jacques-Henri Eyraud told Rami he needed to think deeply about "his obligations as a player especially as a world champion".

The previous month, Rami hit the headlines when US celebrity Anderson revealed the pair had broken up following a high-profile two-year relationship.

Over the summer Rami was left out of Marseille's pre-season tour to the United States and dropped from the club's opening match of the season on Saturday under new coach Andre Villas-Boas, a 2-0 defeat to Reims.