Weah made captain, Hojbjerg left out in the cold
The armband changed hands on Friday night at the Velodrome. Timothy Weah wore it against Atletico Madrid. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Marseille’s appointed captain, watched it disappear from the pitch.
OM lost that final warm-up game 1-2. Igor Paixao scored Marseille’s only goal. The defence fell apart after the break. But it was the team sheet that got people talking, not the result.
The background says plenty. Hojbjerg had a full agreement to join Newcastle this week. All three sides had signed off. The 31-year-old Dane, capped 97 times by his country, then changed his mind at the last minute. He stays in Marseille.
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Genesio does not hide anything
In his news conference, Bruno Genesio was asked about the removal. He did not dodge it.
“It was a decision handed down to me by the club’s hierarchy. If I’m being completely honest, and I will be, it’s not a decision I agree with. But I’m an employee, and I have to accept certain obligations. That’s what we’ve done,” the Marseille coach said.
The admission is rare. For a Ligue 1 manager to publicly call out his own bosses just days before the new season starts? That does not happen every summer.
A financial hit as well as a sporting one
Hojbjerg’s U-turn has cost Marseille dearly. The club was counting on the sale to plug gaps in the books and trim the wage bill. Owner Frank McCourt has taken the news badly. OM are going through a tight financial summer and still need to sell before the market shuts.
Signed from Tottenham after spells with Southampton and Bayern Munich, Hojbjerg became the leader in Marseille’s midfield from day one of his first season. The armband came naturally. He lost it in one evening.
Marseille kick off their Ligue 1 campaign in the coming days against Strasbourg. The captaincy remains up for grabs. So does Hojbjerg’s future, with the transfer window closing in early September.
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