OM ultras demand McCourt's departure after fresh PSG defeat

Olympique de Marseille suffered a fifth defeat in six matches across all competitions, losing 1-2 to PSG at Stade Vélodrome on Sunday evening in the season’s first Classique. The result relegates the club to second-to-last place in Ligue 1.

The sporting context was already heavy before kick-off: just one victory since the start of the season, against Strasbourg, followed by four consecutive defeats including European elimination against Besiktas. OM had also completed a summer transfer window without a single signing, a sign of a strained financial situation.

Despite this bleak picture, both sections of the Vélodrome held their ground. Giant tifos welcomed both teams as they entered the pitch, while flares animated the North stand, known as “Depé” (Patrice de Peretti). The Paris players were greeted with jeers.

It was in this same stand that the most direct messages were addressed to management. The CAOM deployed two banners in the form of a bitter assessment: “2016: Champions project” and “2026: Ligue 2 project?”, recalling the initial ambitions displayed upon Frank McCourt’s arrival and contrasting them with current reality. Later in the first half, another banner explicitly targeted the American owner: “McCourt game over!”

The ultras blame McCourt for deciding to stop covering the club’s annual deficits, a policy that led management, under the impetus of president Pablo Longoria, to accumulate wage bills deemed unsustainable. Coach Bruno Genesio, meanwhile, had seen his team make a good start to the match before losing to the two-time defending Ligue des Champions champions.