Marseille mayor Benoît Payan has used a podcast appearance to accuse Frank McCourt of running OM from too far away and relying on too much delegation. The remarks came on Ils font Marseille, where Payan framed the issue as one of daily control rather than broad ownership philosophy. Marseille sit fourth in Ligue 1 with 18 points from 10 matches and a goal difference of +8.
Payan's criticism of McCourt
Payan said he has seen McCourt only three times in ten seasons. Speaking to Foot Mercato, he added: "It has been ten seasons that he has been here. I have seen him three times. If we want the club to do well, it has to be every day. It is not just any club. It is a club that has to be held. But if you manage them by correspondence or by sending emails, you are not managing it".
He made the same point elsewhere in the interview, saying McCourt is "too far away" and lives in Boston. That is Payan's accusation, not a verified account of how the club is run, but it explains the force of the complaint. For the mayor, OM needs constant oversight because of the scale of the pressures around it.
Marseille's strong domestic form
The timing is awkward for the criticism. Marseille have won their last five league matches and are unbeaten in that domestic run, with 18 points from 10 games and a +8 goal difference. The club have also scored 22 league goals and conceded 14, which is the profile of a side functioning well enough on the pitch for governance to become the main talking point.
That does not make Payan's remarks disappear. It does, though, change how they land. This is not a crisis speech aimed at a collapsing team. It is a warning shot about ownership distance at a club whose league results have been strong enough to keep the argument focused on McCourt's presence, not Marseille's form.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
