He is coming out of a tense week, typical of his Olympique de Marseille. Three days after the elimination of the Phocaeans in the Champions League, at the end of an incredible scenario and a fatal goal scored by the Benfica goalkeeper against Real Madrid, Pablo Longoria spoke at the microphone of BeIN Sports. A few minutes before facing Paris FC in Ligue 1, the Spaniard did not shy away from his responsibilities.
“As president, I am primarily responsible for everything that happens inside the club,” he first declared, before returning to the turmoil caused by this European elimination. “It’s a very heavy defeat, not only in the match but also in the emotions. There is disappointment. But there is also management, that’s what we are paid for, we football professionals. Seeing this cinema, this drama in the press, for the simple management of a club, this is one of the problems we have. »
While rumors of Roberto De Zerbi’s departure flourished, Pablo Longoria assured that this had not been mentioned. “We tried to analyze all the ups and downs. At no time was there any discussion about the coach leaving. There was a calm, professional analysis with Medhi (Benatia, the sports director), the coach, me, and we discussed why there are these variations in level. »
The Coupe de France and qualification in C1 as objectives
The Marseille president also took the opportunity to recall his club’s objective this season: to qualify for the next C1. “It’s a significant defeat, which is not acceptable at the level of our club, but a president must remain serious. This season, I never gave a goal in the Champions League, he said. This is not part of our ambition. In the last thirty years, Marseille has only qualified once for two consecutive Champions Leagues. This is our primary objective for the season. »
Believing that “Medhi Benatia is one of the best sports directors in Europe”, and “the best for Marseille given his character”, Pablo Longoria ended by tackling the Coupe de France, where OM is one of the favorites in the absence of PSG, eliminated by Paris FC. “I won’t say you have to go for it because PSG are out, a lot can happen in knockout matches. But at our level of demands, we must aim to go to the end,” he said.
