Olympique Marseille: How A Season Full of Promises Turn To Crisis

Olympique de Marseille’s 2025-26 season has unravelled in dramatic fashion, from the pitch to administrative changes within a month.

For a club that finished second in French Ligue 1 last season and celebrated a return to the UEFA Champions League return for the first time since 2022-23, the sudden instability is startling.

A campaign filled with promises aimed at ending their Ligue 1 title drought and making a statement on their Champions League return, has descended into instability, dressing room tension, and boardroom uncertainty.

The month of January came with surprises for Marseille supporters and it started with their Franch Champions Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Kuwait.

The last-minute capitulation in Kuwait was followed by a defining moment in the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League phase in Bruges.

Marseille needed just a point against Club Brugge to secure a playoff spot. Instead, they suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat and they were toppled by Benfica who bagged a win against Real Madrid.

The game in Belgium dealt a psychological blow to Roberto De Zerbi’s team, leading to reports of unrest in the dressing room. A key team meeting was called in Paris after the game but head coach De Zerbi was absent and his excuse was that he was asleep.

Ligue 1 Struggles & PSG Humiliation

In French capital city, Marseille attempted to respond in their Ligue 1 fixture against Paris FC and they stormed into a two-goal lead, showing resilience and attacking intent.

However, defensive fragility resurfaced, and the match ended 2-2. The result deepened the crisis in De Zerbi’s team as they failed to protect their lead and supporters responded by voicing their frustrations and staging protests at the Velodrome.

A meeting between club management led by president Pablo Longoria and ultra groups followed ahead of the French Cup clash against Rennes.

At the Velodrome against Rennes, the initial atmosphere was the opposite of the normally electric vibe but Marseille responded on the pitch with an early goal from Amine Gouiri which reignited belief and they cruised to a convincing 3-0 victory with goals from Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

That optimism evaporated days later in Le Classique against rivals Paris Saint-Germain as Marseille delivered one of their most disappointing performances of the season, suffering a crushing 5-0 defeat.

Consequently, Marseille dropped to fourth in the Ligue 1 table with intensified scrutiny on De Zerbi’s leadership.

As expected, tensions escalated at the Centre d’Entraînement Robert Louis-Dreyfus and De Zerbi felt some players were no longer fully committed to his vision which led to his resignation on February 11.

Organisational Turmoil at La Commandarie

Since Roberto De Zerbi’s departure, the dressing fallout has extended to the management set-up.with sporting director Medhi Benatia initially announcing his exit from the club.

However, the timely intervention of American owner, Frank McCourt and his assurances made the former Moroccan defender to rescind his decision and he will stay until June to oversee the recruitment of a new coach.

McCourt’s arrival at the Centre d’Entraînement Robert Louis-Dreyfus has dramatically shifted the power dynamics in Marseille. President Longoria, once seen as a central figure in Marseille’s rebuilding process, is now taking a back seat, with Benatia set to lead all of the club’s sporting activities.

Longoria, on the other hand, will maintain his instituttional figure and continue to represent the club in the French territory and the European Club Associations.

This change is believed to be an act to push the Spanish executive to the exit door as Marseille could be on the lookout for a new president.

McCourt Sets Clear Objectives

It was a busy Tuesday for Frank McCourt in Marseille that featured meetings with players, ultra groups leaders and the top management.

During his meeting with the players, the American owner stated the importance of the lifting the French Cup to end Marseille’s long-wait for silverware, and he also set a target of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

With the fans, McCourt expressed displeasure with the recent protests at the Velodrome and he assured them of his commitment to the club that he is not seeking to sell Olympique Marseille in the near future.

What Next for Olympique Marseille

Marseille, currently fourth in the Ligue 1 table, are in the hunt for a top-three finish which would secure UCL qualification.

They visit Brest on Friday for their next fixture before welcoming Olympique Lyon to the Velodrome on March 1.

Meanwhile, Jacques Abardonado will continue in his capacity as interim coach pending the confirmation of a new head coach, with former Marseille Habib Beye leading as favourite to De Zerbi.