Coach Jorge Sampoli resigned on Friday after managing Marseille’s return to the Champions League and complicity with a daunting fan base, leaving the team’s pre-season preparations up in the air.
After Marseille announced the departure of the technical director, Sampaoli stated that the team had not met its objectives, although it appeared that there was no disagreement between him and club president Pablo Longoria.
Everything indicates that the departure of the Argentine coach is mainly a matter of principle as Sampaoli did not even seek financial compensation.
“He resigned (paid) for his three contracts. He came and went like a gentleman,” said Spaniard Longoria. “Marseille is a volatile club by nature. The team needs to build a project around a coach.”
Sampaoli’s departure coincides with the sudden resignation of Marcelo Bielsa of Argentina at the start of the 2015-2016 season.
Longoria said the club has a list of candidates and is expected to name a new manager by the weekend. Training is starting from Monday and players will miss Sampaoli.
The manager was popular with the demanding fan base and managed to automatically qualify the 1993 Champions League winner for the tournament after finishing second in the French league to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 62-year-old Argentine had asked Longoria for a strong contract for the summer and according to sports media he was dissatisfied with the lack of new additions to date.
“My rhythm and my goals are not the same as that of the managers. There’s nothing wrong with pretending to be different,” Sampaoli said on his Instagram page.
“The important thing is to seek excellence and want the best for Marseille.”
