Rochdale Football Club defend Bastien Hery

Following an article published by a national newspaper over the weekend regarding comments made by midfielder Bastien Hery, Rochdale Football Club and the player have moved to clarify the situation.

The interview was conducted by a French magazine on 19 January 19 and later published on 30 January – Hery has not spoken to any other publication.

The article was subsequently picked up over the weekend by the national paper, resulting in other media outlets following suit. However, the the club says the original article has been taken out of context and translated incorrectly.

It has been claimed that the Frenchman labelled Rochdale as “a dump – gloomy and grey” but a simple translation has shown that nowhere in the original article does Hery make such a comment.

The club statement says: "We are extremely disappointed, as is Bastien, that an interview, which focuses on the positives of his time at Rochdale, has been mistranslated in this way."

The 22-year-old has issued the following comments: “I want to apologise for any confusion that has been caused because I didn’t say what has been written over the weekend.

“I did the interview for a French magazine and I would never say anything like that about Rochdale – the club or the town.

“Rochdale is my first club and I love it because it has made me what I am now.

“And I love the fans because it’s a real family club - everyone is close together. When I got here they were all so nice to me, so I’m really disappointed that what I have said has been taken the wrong way.”