‘I could not abandon the club in these conditions’ – Medhi Benatia speaks out on dramatic Marseille departure u-turn

Medhi Benatia has insisted there was “no intrigue or takeover” behind the scenes at Olympique de Marseille as he speaks out for the first time after making a dramatic u-turn on his departure from the club as head of football.

Speaking to Le Journal du Dimanche, the Marseille sporting director explained that he had accepted owner Frank McCourt’s request to remain in his role following a turbulent period at the club.

“For many reasons, I could not abandon the club in these conditions. It’s a club that is dear to me, where I came through” Benatia said. “I accepted the owner’s request to stay until the end of the season out of a sense of responsibility. There was no intrigue or takeover.”

Benatia had initially signalled his intention to step away earlier this month amid mounting tensions behind the scenes, but McCourt intervened during a visit to Marseille to stabilise the club’s structure. The former Morocco international is now expected to oversee sporting operations until the end of the current campaign.

However, according to people close to Benatia, his departure at the end of the season remains the plan, with Marseille expected to begin the process of identifying a successor in the coming months.

The situation forms part of a wider restructuring at the club, with the likely departure of Pablo Longoria as president, and the club already naming an interim president this evening in Alban Juster.

GFFN | George Boxall