Beye's Back on the Velodrome Touchline: Marseille's Bold Gamble After De Zerbi Debacle
Olympique de Marseille have appointed former player Habib Beye as their new head coach on a deal until 2027, replacing Roberto De Zerbi after his mutual departure following a heavy defeat to PSG. Beye, recently sacked by Rennes, returns to the club where he played 174 games and faces immediate pressure to secure a Ligue 1 podium and Coupe de France success amid ongoing fan unrest and boardroom drama. He makes his debut against Brest on Friday.
Beye Returns to His Spiritual Home
Picture this: you're kicking back at the pub, pint in hand, and Marseille drop a bombshell. Habib Beye, the no-nonsense Senegalese warrior who once captained Olympique de Marseille through 174 gritty games between 2003 and 2007, is back. Not with boots on, mind – he's swapped them for a tracksuit and a clipboard, taking the OM hot seat just days after Roberto De Zerbi flounced out.
De Zerbi's exit was pure farce, lads. Mutual consent after a 5-0 spanking from PSG in Le Classique? Yeah, that tracks. The Italian's firecracker style lit up the Canebière briefly, but it fizzled amid results that had fans baying for blood. Enter Beye, fresh off the sack from Stade Rennais last week – poor form and squad bust-ups did for him there, even if Rennes are still sniffing Europe.
Beye's no stranger to the managerial merry-go-round. He cut his teeth at Red Star FC, dragging them to the National 1 title in 2024 with his trademark discipline and intensity. As Bastien Cheval noted at Get French Football News, it was a meteoric rise from pitch to dugout. Now, at 48, he's penned a deal until summer 2027 – per RMC Sport – and the pressure's cranked to eleven.
Marseille's Madhouse: Protests, Penalties, and Boardroom Ping-Pong
OM's been less a football club, more a reality TV set lately. De Zerbi's departure didn't calm the storm; ultras cleared out a stand before the Strasbourg clash in protest against the suits. Under caretaker Jacques Abardonado, they led 2-0 thanks to Mason Greenwood and Amine Gouiri, only to let Sebastian Nanasi pull one back and concede a 97th-minute pen from Joaquin Panichelli. Draw at home? Against Strasbourg? Oof.
Then the boardroom circus: Mehdi Benatia quits as sporting director, only to U-turn days later on a deal to season's end. President Pablo Longoria's under siege from the ultras, with whispers of fans storming the posh boxes. It's chaos on the south coast, but Beye's mandate is crystal: bag the Coupe de France, snag a Ligue 1 podium, and glue the dressing room back together. Tall order, but the man's built like a brick outhouse – metaphorically speaking.
Beye's style? High standards, player accountability, and that old-school leadership he flashed as a combative right-back. Newcastle fans will remember him from his Premier League stint post-OM. Senegal internationals don't mess about, and he's itching to impose his identity on a squad boasting firepower like Greenwood – and, er, Ethan Nwaneri? Blimey, Arsenal's lad must've had a cheeky transfer we missed.
Brest Beckons: Can Beye Hit the Ground Running?
No time for teambuilding pints – Beye's OM bow is Friday night away at Brest. Win there, and he quiets the doubters early. Fail, and the Velodrome cauldron boils over. Objectives are sky-high: Ligue 1 top three, cup glory, and burying those Longoria-Benatia tensions.
It's a punt, sure. Beye's CV screams ambition, but Ligue 1's a shark tank, especially at OM where passion borders on pitchforks. Still, full circle for the lad who bled Phocéen blue. If anyone can harness the madness, it's this prodigal son. Grab the popcorn – or pastis – this could be epic.
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