Marseille president Pablo Longoria has revealed that Roberto De Zerbi offered to resign after the club’s early Champions League elimination.
Longoria said the head coach came to him following the European exit and told him he was ready to step aside if the board felt a change was needed. The Marseille chief stressed, however, that the club did not accept the resignation offer and that De Zerbi remained fully backed.
“He offered to resign,” Longoria explained, lifting the lid on a private conversation held in the immediate aftermath of the Champions League disappointment. Longoria made clear it was a strong gesture from a coach who felt responsible for the result, but one Marseille did not want to act on.
Marseille were knocked out earlier than they had hoped, and the elimination quickly put pressure on the project. Longoria insisted the club’s stance did not change, underlining that the leadership believed De Zerbi was still the right man to take the team forward.
The president also pointed to the wider context around the defeat, but reiterated that De Zerbi’s reaction was not about creating drama. Instead, it was presented as a sign of accountability from the coach during a difficult moment for the club.
Marseille, according to Longoria, chose continuity rather than panic, and the message from the top was that De Zerbi would continue in charge as the club refocused on the rest of the season.
