Medhi Benatia says his Marseille spell ended in frustration because the club's financial reality was not what he had been led to expect. In a Canal+ interview, the former sporting director said he spent two and a half years at Marseille, arrived in November 2023 with 12 players leaving for the AFCON and later found himself dealing with a squad and budget he says were misrepresented.

Marseille's financial reality

Benatia's strongest accusation is against Pablo Longoria. "Me, Longoria lied to me. Of course he lied to me," he said, adding that Marseille needed to bring in €35 million and had no money to spend. He also said, "I have a president above me, there is a chief executive, a financial director, there is the board, the Americans, whom I don't even know when I arrive."

That is his wider point about the club, not just one dispute. Benatia says Marseille have "always" had big salaries, and that the wage problem did not begin with his arrival. He also says the club failed to reach the Champions League for the second year in a row by two points, which is why he frames the collapse as structural rather than a single bad month.

The Rabiot and Rowe fallout

The same interview also returns to the Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe incident that has hung over Marseille's season. Benatia says the confrontation happened on 15 August 2025 at Roazhon Park, and that he "experienced it very badly." He added that 48 hours passed without apologies, before the apologies finally came in a meeting when the sanctions had already been decided.

Roberto De Zerbi gave his own version of the chaos, saying: "What am I supposed to do? Three times I say stop and these guys are beating each other up! It's as if I weren't there, as if I were shit". Benatia's version does not try to isolate that fight from everything else. He points back to the budget tension, the squad turnover and the pressure that was already building.

The awkward part for Marseille is that the league table does not show a club in freefall. They sit fourth in Ligue 1 with 18 points from 10 matches, have a +8 goal difference and have won their last five league matches. Benatia's complaint is therefore not about the results alone, but about how fragile the project felt behind them.

Benatia's interview leaves both ideas on the table, but his accusation is the sharper one. He says Marseille were sold one version of the club and found another, and the next time he speaks, the dispute around Longoria and the Rabiot episode will still be hanging over a team that has already won five league games in a row.

FAQ

Why is Medhi Benatia accusing Pablo Longoria over Marseille's collapse?

Benatia says Longoria lied to him about Marseille's financial reality. He also says the club needed to bring in €35 million, had no money to spend and was dealing with a wage structure that already existed before his spell.

How does Benatia describe the Rabiot-Rowe fallout at Marseille?

He says the clash on 15 August 2025 at Roazhon Park was a major breaking point. Benatia says 48 hours passed without apologies, and that the apologies only came later in a meeting when the sanctions had already been decided.

What does Benatia say about Marseille's season beyond the dressing-room row?

He argues the problems were bigger than one incident. Benatia says he spent two and a half years at Marseille, arrived in November 2023 and found 12 players leaving for the AFCON, while the club missed the Champions League for the second year in a row by two points.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →