Medhi Benatia has made his mark at OM since his appointment as sports advisor to President Pablo Longoria in November 2023. Ali Zarrak serves as the ex-Juventus player's right-hand man and was also in charge until little supervision of the training center. A clash between Zarrak and reserve coach Jean-Pierre Papin broke out, leading to Zarrak's reassignment. However, his friend and former OM player Bouna Sarr had warned him.
In recent days, a clash has broken out internally atABOUT. Legend and reserve coach of the Marseille club, Jean–Pierre Papin a “a problem with a certain person and I’m not hiding it. I am a coach and I cannot accept that this person chooses my five substitutes. This is unacceptable”. The person in question is none other than'Ali Zarar who was until recently the right arm of the club's sports advisor, namely Medhi Benatiabut also the training manager of theABOUT.
“Some people just can't work together”
This Monday, in view of the controversy which was growing within Olympique de Marseille, the management of the club decided by affecting Ali Zarar to other internal missions. We would always trust him. “He is a good professional who applies things that we want to put in place. It wasn't about judging who is the bad guy and who is the good guy. Some people just can’t work together.”
“Papin is Papin, a club legend. I told Ali: You have to take it upon yourself, round off the angles”
Close to'Ali Zarar, Bouna Sarr confided in The Team regarding discomfort with Jean–Pierre Papin. “Papin is Papin, a club legend. I told Ali: You have to take it upon yourself, smooth out the angles.” This controversy now seems to belong to the past, it remains to be seen whether a healthy climate will regain its rights at the training center Robert Louis–Dreyfus now.
