The gifted takes power.
At only 34 years old, and six months after his arrival in Marseille, Pablo Longoria became president of the only French club to be European champion.
Frank McCourt announced this "profound change" in a long press release, sent this Friday evening.
Pablo Longoria becomes “president of the management board and president of OM.
"He will therefore be" responsible for the management of the club, both in terms of sport and economics. "
The Spaniard gets full powers after six spectacular months.
The young polyglot impressed Frank McCourt with his hyperactivity, his impeccable knowledge of the various markets and his skill in negotiations.
He signed a good sale (Morgan Sanson), reduced the payroll by releasing Kostas Mitroglou and loaning Kevin Strootman.
Above all, he managed to attract Polish international Arkadiusz Milik to the winter transfer window.
This is undoubtedly the most beautiful coup achieved by a French club in the complicated context of the pandemic.
Always smiling and rather frank in a press conference, the Spaniard has attracted the sympathy of Marseille supporters.
"A new breath was needed"
The latter win, this Friday evening, a spectacular victory.
They have, once again, obtained the head of a president.
The six main groups of the Stade Vélodrome had demanded, last week, the departure of Jacques-Henri Eyraud and his replacement by "someone who understands the ball, and better than us", as summed up by the boss of the South Winners Rachid Zeroual.
Frank McCourt agreed to this claim.
"With Pablo Longoria, he appoints someone who comes from football, who has experience on and off the field", contextualizes an adviser to the American businessman.
"Frank McCourt was nevertheless very close to Jacques-Henri Eyraud, without whom he would never have bought OM, in the fall of 2016. But" after four years, he felt that a new lease of life was needed, that the club needed change ”, continues a close to the American.
“It was necessary to calm things down, blows the entrepreneur Richard Caillat, yet close to Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
Frank McCourt and Jacques-Henri Eyraud agreed that the terms of the equation had to be changed.
"
The owner of OM will explain it to the supporters: he plans to go to Marseille next week to meet the leaders of the groups and local elected officials.
They were numerous to claim, behind the scenes, the departure of Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
He had robbed the Marseillais by asserting that there were too many OM supporters among the club's employees.
Putting football back at the heart of OM
According to the press release from the Image 7 agency, which deals with Frank McCourt's communication in France, Jacques-Henri Eyraud "joins the OM supervisory board".
This laconic expression, perhaps supposed to preserve his pride, worries some supporters: "He can still scuttle the club from the supervisory board", plague a regular at the North Turn.
But, overall, OM fans are delighted.
“The people of Marseille have won,” says one of them.
They are also happy to see Jorge Sampaoli join the Marseille city for two seasons.
The arrival of the new Argentine coach is formalized in the press release from Frank McCourt, who presents him as a "great tactician recognized for favoring the attacking game.
"With Pablo Longoria, they will have to" put football back at the heart of OM.
A hell of a disavowal for the entrepreneur Jacques-Henri Eyraud, who had perhaps forgotten that OM was not a company like any other.