MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Ligue 1 club marseille announced the resignation of former president Pablo Longoria on Monday, but Longoria was unable to win a title or, along with his predecessors, restore stability to the former French soccer powerhouse.
The nine-time French champions and 1993 Champions League winners said in a statement that they had reached an agreement on the terms of Longoria’s departure.
Longoria joined the club as sporting director in 2020 and was appointed president less than a year later following anger from supporters’ groups. raided the club’s training facilityprotested against then-president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
During his time as president, Marseille reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League in 2022 and the Europa League in 2024. However, Marseille did not perform well in the Champions League and never won the title.
Last month, Longoria Director Roberto De Zerbi retiresAlban Juster will replace him on an interim basis.
Marseille expressed their gratitude for “Longoria’s dedication, passion and the work he has achieved for the club over the past six years”.
Longoria initially secured several big contracts, appointed high-profile coaches such as Jorge Sampaoli and Gennaro Gattuso, and enjoyed strong support from Marseille fans.
But the southern club has struggled to achieve stability since American investor Frank McCourt bought Marseille in 2016, and Longoria has proved unable to deliver.
Marseille dominated domestic soccer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Until PSG won the trophy last year, they were the only French team to win the Champions League. Marseille have not won a French league title since 2010 and have not won a trophy since the now-defunct League Cup in 2012.
He is currently coached by Marseille’s Habib Bey. Lost 2-1 at home to Lille Heading into the weekend, they were in third place, 11 points behind leaders PSG.
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