Madness of Marseille provides the stage for a winter of discontent
THE year may be only six weeks old, yet Marseille already have a clear advantage in the race to be the Most Dramatic Club of 2021.
No sooner had the socially distanced fireworks gone out on the city’s famous Canebiere avenue than ‘l’OM’ (Olympique de Marseille) had lit some more of their own as part of their self-destruction.
First it emerged star players Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin were at loggerheads in the dressing room, tensions rising over contracts and perceived selfishness on the pitch.
On January 30 supporters invaded the Commanderie training ground – cue more flares and firecrackers – unhappy over the club’s direction under president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
Marseille’s league match that same day was postponed. The club said the damage caused by the 300 fans came to ‘several hundred thousand euros’. Then, on February 2, manager Andre Villas-Boas resigned during a press conference. He was angry the club had signed Olivier Ntcham, a player he didn’t want, without telling him. Villas-Boas said he had learned of the Celtic midfielder’s arrival when he checked the internet that morning.
Marseille’s downfall has been as swift as it was spectacular. In midDecember they were just two points off the top of the Ligue 1 table with two games in hand. At that stage, it was not unreasonable to see them as outsiders in the title race.
Yet the foundations were fragile. Fans have never warmed to former Disney employee Eyraud and exChelsea and Tottenham boss VillasBoas had an uneasy relationship with his superiors. Results, better than performances, looked likely to level off, and that is what has happened.
The club thrives on having a theatrical edge. Emotions simmer just beneath the surface. When they cannot be channelled into the scoring exploits of heroes, such as Jean-Pierre Papin or Didier Drogba, they spill over, tainting the parts they touch. This
‘Marseille is a club that thrives on having a theatrical edge’
weekend Marseille face Bordeaux. They’re ninth in the standings. Defeat would see them fall into the bottom half for the first time this season.
Jorge Sampaoli, the former Chile and Argentina boss, is the favourite to be the next manager. Rafael Benitez, available since leaving China last month, has also been mentioned.
Certain media report the club is up for sale. Saudi investors are close to concluding a deal, they say. American owner Frank McCourt denies this, cracking down hard on the journalists spreading the stories.
At Marseille, the next act of drama is never far away.