Official deal to close the chapter 
Marseille released a short statement on Monday. The club confirmed Pablo Longoria is out for good. The former president and owner Frank McCourt have signed off on the split. Money terms are being kept under wraps. The club praised the Spaniard’s work over the last six years. Longoria thanked the players and the fans in return. Timing was ugly. The first team lost at home to Lille on Sunday and the stands at the Velodrome blew up straight away. Marseille sit third in France’s top flight with seven games left. They’re scrapping with Lyon, Lille, Monaco and Rennes for a Champions League spot.
Owner forced the shake-up
McCourt started this break-up at the end of February. He removed the 40-year-old from his main duties. Alban Juster, the finance director, has been interim chairman of the board since. Longoria took over as president in February 2021 after serving as sporting director. He became the youngest president the club had seen in a century. His spell was unusually long for Marseille — only Vincent Labrune lasted that long since Bernard Tapie. On paper he leaves three top-three finishes from four full seasons.
Instability: Marseille’s default setting
He’s leaving cleaner finances. He didn’t win a major trophy. His time was marked by endless internal shocks. The 2023 crisis was the headline moment. A furious meeting with supporters forced coach Marcelino out. Longoria survived that one — until the owner’s recent reshuffle finished the job. McCourt has handed football matters to Medhi Benatia, the former defender Longoria himself once hired and then promoted. Longoria’s tenure reads like a revolving-door period: dozens of players in five years. Six full-time managers under his watch, and several caretakers besides.
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