Christophe Dugarry denounces OM's years of deception

Marseille’s financial crisis has exposed what former OM striker Christophe Dugarry describes as years of deception towards the club’s supporters. He argues that even qualification for last season’s Champions League would not have solved the underlying problem, leaving the club unable to build a squad strong enough for the competition.

The scale of the retrenchment became clear during the summer. Marseille released or sold eight players and recruited nobody, while new president Stéphane Richard has indicated that the club still had not met the requirements of France’s financial control body, the DNCG. The club had nevertheless created about €50 million in room at the end of the transfer window, a sum Dugarry believes would only have eased the pressure rather than changed the strategy.

Speaking on RMC, Dugarry criticised the repeated use of expensive, short-term transfer gambles and the constant turnover in the squad. He also questioned owner Frank McCourt’s oversight, arguing that the American had invested heavily but failed to stop a policy that was not working. Dugarry further challenged the decision to promote Pablo Longoria from sporting director to president while the same approach continued.

Richard described the previous plan as a high-risk bet built around costly signings, high wages and an expected Champions League qualification. Marseille did not reach that target, leaving the club to cut its squad without adding replacements and bringing the sustainability of its recent model into question.