DR ‹ › Former Morocco national team captain Medhi Benatia has broken his silence over his brief departure from French club Olympique de Marseille (OM). After initially announcing his resignation, the sporting director agreed to remain until the end of the season at the request of owner Frank McCourt. «For many reasons, I could not abandon the club under these circumstances», Benatia said. «I accepted the owner's request to stay until the end of the season, out of a sense of responsibility. There was no intrigue or power struggle», he added. Benatia had announced his resignation in mid-February, shortly after OM head coach Roberto De Zerbi's departure. In a heartfelt message shared on social media, he expressed growing dissatisfaction within the club, referring to «tensions around the management». Benatia began his playing career at Marseille before featuring for Clermont, Udinese and Roma, earning a move to Bayern Munich, where he won two Bundesliga titles, and later joining Juventus. He ended his career with spells at Al-Duhail in Qatar and Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey before retiring in 2021. Internationally, he earned 66 caps for Morocco, captained the Atlas Lions at the 2018 World Cup and represented the national team in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He retired from international football in 2019 and was appointed sporting director of Marseille in 2023. Article modifié le 02/03/2026 à 14h08
