Marseille’s Sporting Director Returns Amidst Turmoil

omidbasir- Marseille’s turbulent season took an unforeseen twist on Tuesday as sporting director Medhi Benatia made a surprising return to the club, merely two days after announcing his resignation.

Benatia had stepped down on Sunday, shortly following the departure of head coach Roberto De Zerbi. In a formal statement, the club’s American owner, Frank McCourt, confirmed that Benatia had consented to return until the end of the season to oversee all sporting activities.

In light of this development, club president Pablo Longoria will transition into a more institutional role, tasked with representing Marseille within French and European football organizations, as noted in the statement widely reported by various media outlets.

Currently, Marseille is positioned fourth in the league, trailing the leaders, Lens, by 12 points. This follows a 2-2 draw at home against Strasbourg on Saturday, where Marseille squandered a 2-0 lead. This match came on the heels of a disheartening 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain and an elimination from the Champions League after a 3-0 defeat to Club Brugge, provoking a strong reaction from the club’s supporters.

Benatia was reportedly loyal to De Zerbi, who departed just three days after the heavy defeat to PSG. During Saturday’s match against Strasbourg, many Ultras supporters vacated the stands behind the goals in protest, displaying banners that urged McCourt and Longoria to resign, with messages indicating that “all your projects are going up in smoke!”

The nine-time French champions have not secured a trophy since winning the now-defunct League Cup in 2012, and they now have realistic hopes only for the French Cup, with a quarterfinal match against Toulouse scheduled for next month.

Later on Tuesday, McCourt was expected to meet with some of the Ultras groups amidst speculation that Habib Beye would soon be appointed as the new head coach. Beye, a former Marseille defender from 2003 to 2007, was dismissed by Rennes the previous Monday. Following De Zerbi’s exit, Marseille’s assistant coach Jacques Abardonado has taken on the interim managerial role.