Crime may scupper McCourt’s grand plans for Marseille

PARIS: Frank McCourt’s plans to bring Marseille back to the top of French and European soccer could be undermined by local criminals.

Winger Florian Thauvin became the latest victim of the southern city’s notorious thieves this week, suffering a vicious attack near his home in a chic neighborhood of the port city.

Thauvin was attacked and strangled by two men on motorbikes who crashed into his car before they tried to steal his luxury watch.

The Newcastle loanee managed to flee the scene and escaped uninjured but the incident highlighted once again the violence to which players are regularly exposed in a city with a long history of organised crime.

According to the L’Equipe newspaper, at least 12 players and officials from the club have been victims of robberies or thefts since 2011.

“It creates a very unpleasant climate,” Dassier said in an interview with L’Equipe. “It does not help building a serene and calm atmosphere in the changing room.”

The assault on Thauvin was the first reported on a Marseille player since McCourt’s arrival at the former French champions.

McCourt, the former owner of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, bought the club last month and has pledged to restore Marseille’s battered image.

The club is the only French outfit to have won the Champions League, beating AC Milan in 1993. It has won the French title nine times but not since 2010, and has fallen way behind rival Paris St Germain since they were bought by Qatari investors five years ago.

Taking PSG off their perch will be a tall order if the club fail to build a competitive squad because of the city’s lack of attraction, in spite of

� McCourt’s vow to invest 200mil (RM943mil) over four years.

Marseille are languishing in 12th place in the French League, 15 points behind Mediterranean neighbour Nice, the surprise leaders. — AFP