Crisis deepens at Marseille as Benatia walks out as sporting director
Marseille's season continues to unravel with Medhi Benatia quitting as sporting director just days after De Zerbi's departure, leaving the French giants in turmoil.
Marseille’s season is going from bad to worse as they lose another key figure from their hierarchy during an increasingly chaotic campaign.
Benatia calls it quits
Medhi Benatia has resigned as sporting director of Olympique Marseille, deepening the crisis at the troubled French club. The former Morocco international and ex-Juventus and Bayern Munich defender had only been in the role since January 2025, but decided to step down on February 9th, though he only made this public six days later.
This bombshell comes just four days after Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi departed, leaving the club in absolute disarray. Talk about a proper dog’s dinner!
Perfect storm of problems
Benatia’s resignation couldn’t have come at a worse time for OM, who:
- Just dropped more points in a 2-2 home draw with Strasbourg after leading 2-0
- Saw sections of supporters walk out during the match in protest
- Were hammered 5-0 by rivals PSG recently
- Got knocked out of the Champions League
In his statement on social media, Benatia expressed regret at failing to “calm the atmosphere around the group” amid tensions surrounding the club’s leadership under Spanish president Pablo Longoria and American billionaire owner Frank McCourt.
What’s next for Marseille?
Despite the chaos, Marseille still sit fourth in Ligue 1 and remain in the French Cup, where they’ll face Toulouse (managed by Spaniard Carles Martínez Novell) in the quarter-finals.
However, the 1993 European champions are clearly a club in turmoil. With both their sporting director and manager gone within a week, the Stade Vélodrome outfit needs stability - and fast - if they’re to salvage anything from this season.
The supporters’ patience is clearly wearing thin, and Longoria now faces the unenviable task of steadying what looks increasingly like a sinking ship. Bit of a mare for the French giants, innit?