Can Pablo Longoria survive Marseille's escalating crisis? | OneFootball

Under mounting pressure and increasingly isolated, Marseille president Pablo Longoria faces one of the sternest crises of the Frank McCourt era. With Roberto De Zerbi gone and Medhi Benatia edging away without formal confirmation, his position looks increasingly fragile.

Since Sunday, conflicting information has swirled around his future while he has stayed silent. He has not responded in recent days, with allies saying he is analysing rather than reacting, and the institution has offered no answers. According to La Provence, McCourt is due back in Marseille on Tuesday.

On 26 February, Longoria reaches five years as president, a lifetime in such an exposed role. In that span, the 39-year-old has cycled through coaches including Jorge Sampaoli, Igor Tudor, Marcelino, Gennaro Gattuso, Jean-Louis Gasset and Roberto De Zerbi, and there have been 158 transfer moves.

Benatia’s arrival proved a turning point, as Longoria gradually ceded control of sporting matters. That created distance from the dressing room and eroded his internal sway as Benatia placed his people. Longoria is now largely flanked by chief of staff Maxime Quinart and backed by chief executive Alessandro Antonello.

Those close to him argue he has simply delegated more to Antonello and finance lead Alban Juster. They maintain he still signs off decisions across departments, remains active with the club’s Foundation and has resumed his roles in the game’s bodies alongside Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson.

Outside the club, his standing has also waned. A suspension after his outburst at Auxerre last year, a failed attempt to unseat Vincent Labrune at the start of the season and the arrival of Semsar-de Boisséson have weakened him. In September he fronted with McCourt against LFP governance, but a recent Le Monde opinion piece was initiated by Semsar-de Boisséson.

Longoria once had a particular bond with Marseille’s fans, who even chanted his name under Sampaoli. The rupture after a stormy meeting with supporter groups in September 2023 never truly healed, with Marcelino departing and several executives following. Longoria considered leaving before staying on.

A non-aggression pact gave way to fresh hostility on Saturday against Strasbourg. Banners in the stands read, “McCourt / Longoria: cassez-vous!”, a blunt reminder of how far relations have soured.

Source: L'Équipe