‘This season many people tried to bring us down’ – Marseille president Pablo Longoria | OneFootball

In a public statement posted to LinkedIn Olympique de Marseille president Pablo Longoria took a moment to reflect on his club’s rollercoaster 2024–25 season — one marked by both adversity and redemption. The Spaniard framed OM’s qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League not as a prize, but as a statement of resilience and unity.

“This is not a reward. It is a reconquest. And a statement,” Longoria wrote, days after OM secured their place in Europe’s elite with a 3–1 win away to Le Havre on Saturday night. The result capped a dramatic but ultimately successful campaign, during which the club endured some internal turbulence, and relentless outside pressure.

“Many tried to bring us down,” Longoria continued. “Some sowed doubt, tried to create division, and bet on our collapse. But this club stood firm — because men and women inside chose unity. Because they believed in this project as something they owned. Each in their place.”

His remarks echoed the now-iconic tifo unfurled by OM fans during the March 2 home match against Nantes, which read: “Seuls contre tous” (Alone against everyone). Longoria admitted the message “deeply moved” him and guided him throughout the campaign.The Spaniard only a month ago was using LinkedIn as a platform to call for unity after Les Olympiens’ defeat to Monaco (3-0) which saw them stumble in the race for the Champions League. Yet Marseille managed to win three of their last four games to secure qualification for Europe’s premier competition. GFFN | George Boxall