A new coach has been appointed to head Olympique de Marseille. He is an Argentinian, named Jorge Sampaoli, known to have a great temperament and to have sometimes exceeded the limits.
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It’s official ! Olympique de Marseille will soon have a new coach. Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli will succeed André Villas-Boas. He must land in Marseille on Sunday February 28 or Monday March 1 to initial a contract, which commits him until 2023. Like his deputies, due to the coronavirus epidemic, he will have to observe a week of isolation before being able to truly take office. Jorge Sampaoli is known to have a hell of a temper and warm blood, which, at OM, promises to spark.
Sampaoli called Brazilian referee a ‘shit thief’
What should be noted at Sampaoli is his level of requirement, both in the game and in his physical efforts. In this, he is very reminiscent of another Argentine coach, Marcelo Bielsa, who made a big impression on OM supporters during his visit in 2014-2015. “It’s a bit of a Bielsa, he can pull the group to the top with a high level of demand “, explains the agent of an OM player to the Parisian. “We were looking for a coach with a real identity” and “he’s a boy with a lot of temperament”, we still confide on the side of the Olympian club.
But having temper and expressing it to excess can also be a fault. At the head of Atlético Mineiro, a Brazilian football club, he spent the last match in the stands: this is where the coaches meet when they are excluded. Why was he there? He had called the referee of the previous match “shit thief” and had even come back onto the lawn to yell at him. What is strictly prohibited: a coach must stay in his technical zone.
Pablo Longoria appointed president in place of Jacques-Henri Eyraud
The change of coach is not the only upheaval announced by Frank McCourt, the owner of OM. The club also changed its president, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, decried by the supporters (and recently treated “asshole” by Bernard Tapie), being replaced by Pablo Longoria, much more appreciated. It was also Pablo Longoria who made Sampaoli his priority and did everything to get him signed as soon as possible. Not fast enough however for him to lead Steve Mandanda and his teammates against Lyon on Sunday.
Sampaoli took a red card and invaded the field, wanted to catch the referee pic.twitter.com/jmsqEaLvPq
– Video Diary (@diariodevideos) February 21, 2021
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias
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