The Result Carries Weight
Marseille confirmed Monday the departure of president Pablo Longoria, whose six-year reign produced no trophies and ended with the club in familiar transition.
Longoria arrived at the club in 2020 as sporting director and was promoted to president less than a year later, following angry supporter protests that forced out then-president Jacques-Henri Eyraud. He secured high-profile coaches including Jorge Sampaoli and Gennaro Gattuso, and guided Marseille to the Europa Conference League semifinals in 2022 and the Europa League semifinals in 2024. But the club never translated that European promise into domestic silverware.
The trophy did not need much decoration; the season had already done most of the talking.
The Moment That Swung It
The nine-time French champions, and the only French team to win the Champions League before PSG did so last year, have not claimed a trophy since the now-defunct League Cup in 2012. They have not won the Ligue 1 title since 2010.
Longoria was moved aside last month after coach Roberto De Zerbi departed, with Alban Juster taking over on an interim basis. Marseille thanked his commitment and work in a brief statement confirming the mutual agreement.
The Race Tightens
Now coached by Habib Beye, Marseille lost 2-1 at home to Lille over the weekend and sits 11 points behind leader PSG in third place.
Marseille dominated French soccer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The club that once won European club soccer's biggest prize now finds itself rebuilding again — the fifth coaching change in six years tells its own quiet story about what stability actually means at a club that has made upheaval a tradition.