Total turnaround: Benatia stays, Longoria demoted

'I want this to have consequences for the rest of the season‘ said Marseille‘s sporting director Medhi Benatia after a humiliating 3-0 defeat from Brugge in the Champions League. The angry director got his wish three weeks later: coach Roberto De Zerbi resigned and Benatia followed him a couple of days later. It‘s certain that former Morocco defender did not had this outcome in mind when he said that there should be consequences, but in the end, that‘s what happened. Benatia wanted to resign even earlier but the American owner Frank McCourt asked him to be patient. His patience ran out after a disappointing 2-2 draw on Sunday and he made his decision public on Instagram. But the total turnaround happened today – Benatia is staying and will have even bigger responsibilities!

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What probably happened is that McCourt and Benatia were unable to speak one-on-one on Sunday since the fans tried to enter the presidential office after the game, forcing riot police to intervene and the Moroccan then decided to make his decision public. But the American owner came to Marseille on Tuesday morning and persuaded Benatia to remain at least until the end of the season and oversee all sporting operations, including appointing the new manager. The new/old director and the owner already talked to the players this afternoon and it‘s expected that both men will have a meeting with supporters groups by the end of Tuesday.

"As the club's owner, I am coming to Marseille and, once again, taking responsibility for ensuring the club remains focused on its objectives, particularly qualification for the next Champions League and an exemplary run in the Coupe de France. Under the supervision of Medhi Benatia, the appointment of a new coach will be announced soon. My ambition for the club remains unchanged. Let's all pull together, in service of OM" reads the statement.

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Where that leaves Pablo Longoria, the club‘s president? His position is certainly weakened by this outcome. As per McCourt himself, “Longoria's role should evolve towards his institutional responsibilities, in order to maintain Olympique de Marseille's representation within French and, in particular, European bodies“. The Spaniard has already become a target for Marseille fans, who used the walls of the Robert-Louis-Dreyfus training center and its surroundings to protest against him. The messages targeted the Marseille president: "Longoria resign", "Longoria get out", "Longoria imposter", "Longoria tick-tock" and "Pablo ciao". Benatia arrived at OM in November 2023 as a sporting advisor to Longoria. In January 2025, he then took on the title of director of football, in charge of all sporting aspects of the Marseille club. McCourt rates him very high and is determined to place him at the forefront of the club's project. He is satisfied with the sales achieved since Benatia's arrival and considers him indispensable from an economic standpoint.