The crisis was deep at Olympique de Marseille. After the heavy defeat in Bruges (3-0) and the premature elimination in the Champions League, the Marseille club found itself without a coach, Roberto De Zerbi having left his position. In the process, OM also almost lost its sporting director, Medhi Benatia, who had considered resigning before finally reversing his decision.
After the intervention of owner Frank McCourt, the Moroccan leader finally backed down. A sequence from which he even seems to have emerged strengthened, extending his influence internally, to the detriment of former president Pablo Longoria. Proof of this new balance of power: the choice to keep Habib Beye on the Marseille bench, while Longoria campaigned instead for a return of Igor Tudor.
But this evolution of governance is far from unanimous within the club. In a large file devoted to the situation, the daily Provence reveals numerous criticisms aimed at Medhi Benatia’s methods.
“He frequently humiliates his colleagues”
“He is strong with the weak and weak with the strong… He has succeeded in establishing a dictatorial atmosphere”confides a source to the newspaper. Another adds: “He frequently humiliates his colleagues and constantly victimizes himself”.
The human management of the former defender is therefore particularly singled out, including in his relationship with the players. To the point that an agent of a former OM player claims to have made a radical decision: “The last few years have been so scandalous in terms of human management that I will no longer send a single player to OM. » In this tense context, the Marseille organization could still experience shocks in the coming weeks.
