Ten Years of McCourt at OM: €710 Million Spent, Zero Titles and a Club for Sale

Frank McCourt is marking October 17 as his tenth anniversary leading Olympique de Marseille, a decade marked by zero major titles, €710 million invested, and a club now valued at €450–500 million for sale.

The Boston businessman, who became a multi-billionaire after selling the Los Angeles Dodgers, acquired the Marseille club from Margarita Louis-Dreyfus on October 17, 2016 for €45 million, while erasing approximately €100 million in debt. His son Kyril Louis-Dreyfus retained 5% of the capital at the time. When signing, Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin set the tone unambiguously: “You’ll have to win, you’ll have to spend money! Since you have it, that’s what you’ll do!”

The sporting record over these ten years is severe: a Ligue Europa final in 2018, two additional European semi-finals including one in the Ligue Europa Conférence, only three Ligue des Champions participations with disappointing results, and no Coupe de France final. McCourt first had to compensate for the errors of his first president, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, before supporting the relentless recruitment pace imposed by Pablo Longoria, the sporting director who became club president.

Since last summer, an austerity drive has been imposed, leaving an uncompetitive squad deprived of Ligue des Champions—a competition whose television rights would have been welcome. The club is struggling.

Yet OM’s commercial value has grown. Ticket revenue has doubled in ten years, rising from €15.8 to €30.3 million, while sponsorship revenue jumped 250%, from €28.9 to €71.7 million. Adidas’s return as kit supplier, replacing Puma, illustrates the enduring appeal of the Marseille brand and justifies a valuation estimated at €450 or €500 million. Enough to convince McCourt to step aside?