When the mayor of Marseille talks about OM, it is never completely trivial. Benoît Payan, in an interview given to So Footspoke at length about his relationship with the club. Accustomed to corners, he assumes his supporter side, even if it means “jumping to the Dodgers or the Winners” if the desire takes him. A supportive side that we also saw on Wednesday during the match lost by the Phocaeans against Atalanta (0-1) in C1. The elected official therefore swept away the Marseille news, evoking the choice of Roberto De Zerbi or the future of the Vélodrome. But the most anticipated passage logically concerned his relationship and his vision of the man who manages the athlete: Pablo Longoria.
“Longoria is passionate, he has football in his blood”
The mayor does not mince his words about the Olympian president. Far from the usual criticisms of the club’s management or instability, Payan paints a striking portrait of the Spaniard. He describes it as a “absolute football encyclopedia”, “something quite phenomenal”. It recounts scenes where Longoria is able to recite a player’s date of birth and precise training history. “He’s still a fairly atypical president, he’s a football president“, insists the mayor, visibly impressed.
Benoît Payan’s analysis goes further and touches the heart of the project. He clearly contrasts Longoria’s vision with that of other club managers. For the mayor, the president of OM is not a simple financier or a passing manager.
“He is not there for any business plan, he is there so that we win”says Payan. A strong statement which aims to reassure about the club’s real ambitions.
“You have to experience a match with him to understand who he is,” he concludes, describing a devouring passion.
De Zerbi, Vélodrome: the mayor on all fronts
Beyond this tribute to its president, Benoît Payan expressed his admiration for coach Roberto De Zerbi. He admits to sharing “100%” the famous exit of the Italian on PSG, when the latter declared “Paris is power, and I don’t like power.” An “iconoclastic” vision that pleases the mayor. Another hot issue: the Vélodrome. Payan reaffirms his position: he is ready to sell the stadium to OM if the club wishes, even if he concedes that “it is not in the immediate project of the club” given the investment required.
Between his support shown to supporters, his strong opinion on the rivalry with Paris and his admiration for the Longoria method, Benoît Payan positions himself. He happily blurs the line between the city’s chief magistrate and the unconditional supporter. A communication which above all confirms that the Longoria-De Zerbi tandem benefits, for the moment, from full political support to carry out its mission.
