In an interview with the daily Marca, Olympique de Marseille president Pablo Longoria revealed that he has reached a sense of fulfilment on the Canebière. The Spaniard also revealed his ambitions for the club, mentioning the objectives to be reached over a specific period.
Olympique de Marseille have had a particularly difficult start to the week. The club’s ambitions of reaching the last eight of the Champions League and the Europa League have been dashed by a 1-2 defeat to Tottenham at the Velodrome on Tuesday.
It was a real disappointment for the Ciel et Blancs, but also very bad news for the French runners-up in terms of finances, with OM missing out on a potential €17m in revenue with this poor European result…
A strong team in 2 years, Longoria’s goal
Whatever the case, the Olympic management is staying the course. Like its president Pablo Longoria, who prefers to look to the long term. The Spanish manager, who was disappointed by the club’s departure, is thinking about the future and believes he knows how to make his team better. The goal is 2024, when a new format for the Champions League will be introduced, replacing the group stage with a 36-team championship in which each club will play 10 matches, as he explained in an interview with Marca.
“There is a big difference between the Premier League and other European leagues. As a result, we try to maximise the Champions League. The difference with the teams that don’t get into the competition is increasing every year. At the moment, my main concern is to understand what European football will look like from 2024. We need to position the club well at that time. These are questions I have never asked myself before, but I have to actively educate myself to provide the best answers to position the club well. It’s a learning period…”, said the 36-year-old manager.
OM as the last project?
As you can see, Longoria wants to make the Olympians’ presence in the UEFA Champions League permanent in order to bring the southern club back to its former glory and ambitions. It’s a nice way of showing that the former Valencia manager is planning for the long term on the Canebière. In a position that suits him perfectly. “I have always tried to be the best in each project I have proposed. In scouting, in sports management and now in the presidency,” said the OM boss.
Something extraordinary has happened to me. What more than being president? I don’t know. What could motivate me more than being president of this club? It is very difficult to find a higher level of motivation… on a daily basis. I think that my motivation in the future would be more related to the search for personal pleasure than professional. Because it’s hard to find more motivation and a more stimulating challenge than this club,” Longoria finished. These are very positive words that are likely to delight the Olympic public, the majority of whom are fans of their president.