VS’There is a situation that only Olympique de Marseille could have invented: while Foix is undefeated in the championship after five days and is currently in third place, a major crisis has arisen in the last 24 hours. On Monday evening, at the OM training centre, the day after the disappointing draw (0-0) with whistles against Toulouse at the Velodrome, a summit meeting was held between the main leaders of OM and the leaders of the supporters’ group.
According to the RMC, facing Pablo Longoria (president), Javier Ribalta (football director), Stéphane Tessier (financial director) and Pedro Iriondo (general director), the leaders of the Marseille militants will not mince their words, leading to They were stunned. The rest of the Marseille staff.
Supporters who are very influential?
In a very tense atmosphere, a sense of condemnation arose and there was no possibility of withdrawal between the two camps. Pablo Longoria may have even considered resigning, before changing his mind after an exchange with OM’s main shareholder, Frank McCourt. Team, After initially announcing his departure, Marcelino should keep his place on the bench for the trip to Amsterdam against Ajax on Thursday.
Pablo Longoria says privately that he just spoke on the phone with Frank McCourt and that after thinking about it last night he will not resign. #Om @lequipe
– Mathieu Gregoire (@Serguei) 19 September 2023
This sequence reflects the weight of OM supporters in the project. Among the notable figures, we find Rashid Zeroual, leader of the South Winners Group, who does not hesitate to take steps to protect the interests of the club, but above all to protect his own interests. “With us, there is no need to play or cheat. I have always had the intelligence to know when it was necessary to take action to blow up presidents,” he explained. World, The Marseille reference is not a legend, and is difficult for some coaches or players to comply with.
The events of the last two days are a reminder of the extent to which Om creates profound contradictions. Even with two podiums in Ligue 1 and after a successful transfer window, notably spending 72 million euros to attract Geoffrey Kondogbia, Renan Lodi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club Instability remains. Marcelino is the sixth coach to join the Marseille bench in less than five years.
“We are in the process of reorganizing ourselves as a real institution”
A year ago, Pablo Longoria recalled the extent to which OM had recovered after the Jacques-Henri Ayraud era, which had ended badly. “I always came to football with ambition because I was born as a recruiter. This approach to football probably allows me to make decisions that connect at an institutional, business level… everything has to be linked to football. Not being in the daily grind allows me to gain perspective and make the best decisions. (…) I like the direction the club is taking. We are in the process of reorganizing ourselves into a real entity. I am very happy with the work with my team. » It remains to be seen whether this episode will end up like a storm in a teacup or its consequences will be even more serious.
For the moment, not a big resignation or slamming the door, but a trend: Olympique de Marseille is running on more embers than ever. This apparent tension is unlikely to improve with a tough schedule ahead: the Europa League opener at Ajax this Thursday, a trip to Paris against PSG three days later, Monaco in ten days and finally the welcome to Brighton in two weeks. . After OM’s struggles against Toulouse, Metz and Nantes, we wouldn’t care too much about ourselves, but football remains the most unpredictable sport. And Olympique de Marseille may surprise countless times, this time in a good way.