 |
Longoria (left) leaves Marseille after 6 years. |
The announcement, made by the Velodrome-based club on the morning of March 24th, confirmed that the two sides had reached an agreement to terminate their partnership. Longoria joined Marseille in 2020 as Sporting Director, before being appointed President less than a year later. He took on the role amidst a crisis at the club, with fans attacking the training center in protest against the previous management.
Under Longoria, Marseille had some explosive moments, reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League in 2022 and the Europa League in 2024. However, in the Champions League, the team was disappointing and, notably, failed to win any titles.
One of the biggest weaknesses of Longoria's reign was the instability on the coaching bench. Marseille constantly changed managers, from Jorge Sampaoli to Gennaro Gattuso, and most recently, the departure of Roberto De Zerbi. Following this upheaval, Longoria was also removed from power.
Despite being recognized for his efforts and dedication, Longoria ultimately failed to solve the problem of stability, an issue that has plagued Marseille since the club was taken over by businessman Frank McCourt in 2016.
Once the dominant force in French football at the end of the 20th century and the only Ligue 1 team to win the Champions League (1993) before PSG did the same, Marseille is now mired in crisis. Their last Ligue 1 title was in 2010, and their most recent trophy was the League Cup in 2012.
Under Habib Beye's leadership, Marseille recently lost 1-2 at home to Lille and are now 11 points behind PSG in the title race. Longoria's departure is therefore seen as a new turning point, but also a sign that the seismic activity at the Velodrome is far from over.
Source: https://znews.vn/doi-cua-greenwood-bien-dong-post1637603.html
Comment (0)