Marseille confirms Marcelino's departure while struggling under ultra threat

After five days without defeat in Ligue 1 and an elimination in the previous phase of the Champions League, coach Marcelino García Toral and his team have canceled their link with Olympique de Marseille. A statement from the club warns that the events of last Monday with the meeting between ultras leaders and the leadership of the entity do not allow the Asturian coach and his collaborators to do "in good conditions" the function for which they were hired. "As a result of this deplorable situation, Marcelino and his staff will not continue their mission at Olympique de Marseille," ditches the letter made public by the club, which warns that the goodbye is due to "extra-sporting reasons."

Communiqué officiel de l'Olympique de Marseille

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) September 20, 2023

The Spanish coaching staff is the first to leave after the episodes of ultra threats. The position of the leadership headed by Pablo Fernández Longoria is precarious, even though the movements of fans away from radicalism have begun to be noticed on social networks with a request for the resignation of the ultra leader Rachid Zeroual that on Wednesday afternoon already aroused more than 37,000 supporters.

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Marseille's ultra hornet's nest places Marcelino and the club's Spanish leaders on the verge of resignation

Meanwhile, the team headed to Amsterdam on Wednesday, where the first match of the Europa League group stage against Ajax awaits on Thursday. On the bench will sit Pancho Abardonado, a former player of the club who worked in the youth football categories before joining the coaching staff of the first team during Jorge Sampaoli's journey in the entity.

Neither Longoria nor his collaborators plan to travel to Amsterdam while they assess the next steps to be taken after the first consultations with the owner, the American Frank McCourt. "There was the threat of a war against the directors if they do not submit their resignation," the club said in a statement in which they stressed that they will not accept personal threats or defamation. "A relationship based on intimidation cannot guarantee the minimum acceptable conditions for the club's board to deepen the transformation of OM," they warn.

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