At OM, departures and adjustments within sports management often punctuate the seasons. After the departure of Javier Ribalta last year, Pablo Longoria chose to rely on a charismatic figure to occupy the role of sports advisor: Medhi Benatia. However, a few weeks before the end of his contract, Benatia's future seems more uncertain than ever. In a recent interview with La Provence, his sharp-tongued statements resonated like a real warning shot.
LOON has regained color in recent matches. The Marseille club seems to be regaining stability and Medhi Benatia is not innocent. Since his arrival as sports advisor, the Moroccan has worked hard to bring back loon at the top of French football. His work should be rewarded with a promotion to sporting director as his current lease expires in a few days. And if the file was on very good track, the recent powerful release of Benatia sows doubt.
“It’s the last thing that interests me”
« Until proven otherwise, I am a sports advisor. My contract ends at the end of December, but that's the last thing that interests me. I'm thinking more about the next match (the trip to Lens, editor's note). Pablo knows it. The rest… We talked a lot about the coach's statement (after the defeat against Auxerre, I'm the problem, I'm leaving”), should he say it or not”, notably confided Benatia for La Provence before being even more firm.
“I don’t need OM to live”
« But he said that just to send the message that if he couldn't get more of those players, he wouldn't be the problem; that the money he receives would not be any either and that he would leave. By coming to get me, Pablo knows that he can have lots of problems, lots of problems (sic), but not contract or money problems. I don't need OM to live, I don't even need to work, quite simply », added Medhi Benatia. A huge, quite unexpected burst of pressure when everything seemed to be going well between the Moroccan and loon.
