Inside Marseille's 'never-ending crisis': How a European giant hit a new low

Tom Weber

• Updated: 17 Feb 2026 13:33 CST
• 5 min read

Analysis

Olympique de Marseille were once the biggest club in France, but they have become a laughing stock in recent years.

The Ligue 1 giants occupy a unique space in the landscape of European football. It is a position that perhaps only a handful of other clubs, like Borussia Dortmund, also share.

Marseille are an enormous footballing institution and, as such, that they are, by their very nature, expected to challenge for silverware. However, the actual reality is quite different because they play in a league dominated by a financial behemoth.

As a result, they are in a state of almost permanent crisis. They are too big to settle for mediocrity but not rich enough to achieve sustainable success or break into the stratified elite of mega-rich clubs. The last trophy Marseille won was the 2012 Coupe de la Ligue, a competition that no longer exists.

In a bid to catch up with PSG, OM have essentially been spending beyond their means since Frank McCourt's takeover in 2016. For a decade now, the American businessman has been forced to cover the club's losses every season, with no success to show for it.

Marseille's latest crisis

This state of affairs has been devastating for the club. Only a few other outfits in European football have managed to churn through as many competent managers and directors as Marseille in recent years.

The pressure at the club is quite simply unbearable. As sporting director Medhi Benatia has pointed out this season, Champions League qualification has become a must for every manager because of the club's finances.

It is anyone's guess what French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG, would have done to Marseille without UEFA revenues and McCourt's money. It is not outlandish to suggest that OM likely would have been forcibly relegated a long time ago.

In recent weeks, the club has been plunged into a new crisis. Roberto de Zerbi, in charge of the first team since 2024, quit last week after crashing out of the Champions League and getting hammered 5-0 by PSG.

It was emblematic of the state of the club that the Italian's exit was announced in the middle of the night. De Zerbi had retained the backing of club bosses, but he no longer felt that he was the right man to lead the team.

It came in the wake of various reports stating that the players had lost faith in his methods. In many ways, De Zerbi was a fitting appointment for Marseille. He was a volatile character in a volatile environment, threatening to quit just a few months into his stint back in 2024.

However, his exit only exacerbated the issues instead of solving them. On Saturday, Marseille surrendered a two-goal lead to draw with Strasbourg. They are still comfortably in fourth in Ligue 1 and thus on course for Champions League qualification.

But it wasn't about the result. Before, during and after the game, Marseille fans protested against club leadership, and particularly against president Pablo Longoria. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.

After the game, sporting director Benatia tendered his resignation, even announcing his departure on social media. L'Equipe described Marseille as being in a state of "never-ending crisis" on Monday.

However, by Tuesday morning, the situation had completely changed due to the direct intervention of McCourt, who had been present on Saturday. He announced that he successfully convinced Benatia to see out the season, and he actually gave him more power.

In a remarkable statement released on Tuesday morning, the American declared that the former Bayern Munich defender had been put in sole charge of sporting matters and that he would unveil a new head coach shortly.

This was an implicit confirmation that Longoria's position was no longer safe. He had essentially been demoted to a figurehead. Understandably, he is not happy and is considering his future.

McCourt himself reportedly revealed at a meeting with supporters later on Tuesday that the plan is to appoint a new president in the near future, without providing a clear timeline. Longoria had received his role in 2021 when Jacques-Henri Eyraud was ousted amid a similar crisis.

However, keeping Longoria for the time being was described as a decision of strategic importance because of his involvement in the broader politics of European football and Ligue 1.

The process of appointing a new coach has been similarly chaotic because of the uncertainty surrounding Benatia. Habib Beye, recently sacked by Stade Rennais, was close to being appointed by the Moroccan last week.

However, when he announced his resignation, it was widely reported that Beye was no longer in line for the OM job. Now, though, with Benatia staying, he is expected to be named the club's new head coach after all.

Xabi Alonso, who was sacked by Real Madrid last month, reportedly turned down taking the Marseille job because of the club's chronic instability. What the future now holds is anyone's guess.

Beye himself can be a confrontational character. Part of the reason why he lost his job at Rennes is that he had fallen out with several of his players. It therefore seems unlikely that the drama at Marseille will stop anytime soon.

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