French club Marseille hires Stéphane Richard as president amid turbulent season
French club Marseille hired Stéphane Richard as its new president on Friday amid another turbulent season.
The 64-year-old Richard is the former chief executive of French telecoms giant Orange and will replace Alban Juster, who has been there on an interim basis since Pablo Longoria lost his position. Richard officially starts in July.
Marseille parted ways with Longoria last month on the back of coach Roberto De Zerbi’s departure.
De Zerbi, who is now coaching struggling Tottenham, left in the wake of a crushing 5-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain and an embarrassing exit from the Champions League following a 3-0 loss at Club Brugge on the final day of the group stage.
Marseille was the first French side to win the Champions League — back in 1993 — but PSG matched that feat last season.
While PSG is now the dominant force in French soccer, Marseille has not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2012.
Attachment to the club
Marseille’s 67,000-capacity Stade Velodrome stadium become known as Orange Vélodrome due to a naming rights change in 2016, which came during Richard’s tenure at Orange.
Richard said he had a fondness for Marseille — where he passed his baccalaureate exams and has owned a house — and is a regular attendee for games against bitter rival PSG.
“I know the city intimately and I know the context of the club,” he said at a news conference Friday. “I love this stadium, coming here. Every time there’s a victory, like against PSG early this season, the atmosphere is wonderful.”
Marseille’s American owner Frank McCourt said Richard’s candidature stood out among many others and that the deal was concluded over a long dinner in London.
“I told myself he’s the ideal person,” said McCourt, who took over in 2016. “The right person to lead this project.”
The 72-year-old McCourt is the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and bought Marseille from Russian-born billionaire Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.
Race for the Champions League
Marseille sits in fourth place in Ligue 1, with only Champions League qualification to aim for. Marseille hosted rock-bottom Metz later Friday.
Marseille has lost ground in recent weeks and is one point behind third-place Lille and level on points with fifth-place Monaco. The top three qualify directly while the side in fourth enters qualifying.
The season began amid optimism after a second-place finish behind PSG last season, but tensions were quickly apparent at the pressure-cooker club.
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot and English forward Jonathan Rowe were both transferred out of the club following a locker-room brawl after the opening game of the season at Rennes. Rabiot went to AC Milan and Rowe to Bologna, also in Italy’s Serie A.
Rabiot has 57 caps for France and was Marseille’s best player last season. His assured presence in midfield, leadership qualities and crisp passing have been sorely missed.
Former Rennes coach Habib Beye — a former Marseille defender — left Rennes to take charge of Marseille following De Zerbi’s exit. ___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer