Rodolphe Saadé held back by fear of ultras before investing in OM

Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of shipping company CMA CGM and already shirt sponsor of Olympique de Marseille, is considering taking a stake in the club, but his fear of ultras would be a decisive obstacle, according to the Journal du Dimanche.

OM is going through a critical financial period. New president Stéphane Richard, successor to Pablo Longoria, inherited a club burdened with 120 million euros in debt. At an event organized by CMA CGM this week, he did not mince words: “When you have a business that can lose more than 50% of its revenue, you can say it is at risk. It is at risk of survival. It is also at sporting risk. We have examples around us: Girondins de Bordeaux. Those who think OM is immortal because it is OM are mistaken.”

These statements were not made by chance. Rodolphe Saadé himself was in the audience, close to Stéphane Richard and already linked to the club through the shirt naming contract. Last spring, American owner Frank McCourt had opened the door to new financial partners, suggesting the possibility of taking a stake.

But according to the JDD, the Franco-Lebanese billionaire harbors a very specific apprehension. “His phobia is having ultras permanently at the foot of his tower,” confides an observer close to the matter cited by the weekly. The CMA CGM headquarters, an emblematic tower of Marseille’s port, is located just a stone’s throw from the Vélodrome, and Saadé would not want to expose himself to the constant pressure of the most radical supporter groups.

The JDD thus clarifies that the shipping company boss “will not buy the club,” even if he “is thinking about the best way to help OM get out of trouble.” Such help would therefore remain limited to the existing sponsorship framework, without taking control or significant capital participation.

OM, under the watch of national and European authorities, must manage this season with severe austerity measures. The absence of substantial financial reinforcements this summer illustrates the fragility of an economic model that Stéphane Richard himself describes as threatened.