Pablo Longoria's press conference

replay of the press conference on twitch 

Pablo Longoria: ‘I'm more than satisfied’

A positive season

You had to look at the objectives set last June. The important thing was to get back into the Champions League and finish in the top four in Ligue 1. We're second, so I'm more than satisfied. The season is made up of different moments, like all seasons. Qualifying for Europe is huge for the club financially. We wanted to go as far as possible in the Coupe de France, but we came up against Lille at a good time for them. I'm very happy with the season. We're relieved. I'm proud of the team, of their attitude, of how the group reacted throughout the season. I'd like to thank the players, the staff and Medhi Benatia for this season.

The future of Roberto De Zerbi

It's part of the end-of-season discussions, talking with the coach about what worked and what needs to be improved. We started a cycle with a three-year contract with Roberto De Zerbi. The project is based on trust and shared objectives. The club wants to continue with Roberto De Zerbi. He has expressed his desire to continue. We are looking to build the future together. Some things need to be adjusted, but it will be easier with a shared desire to continue.

Timing

Conversations need to be timed right. We need to let the adrenaline levels come down and analyse things without emotion. We need to continue these conversations in a different atmosphere in order to build the future of the club.

The squad

When you finish second and you're in a cycle of gradual rebuilding, it's normal to want to keep the core of the squad. Qualifying for the Champions League allows us to do that. We'll try to keep the most important players at the club. It's important to continue with a core group. This season, we played good football, we put on a show, we scored goals. It's essential to seek continuity with the important members of the squad. We also need to look to improve the squad. We played 36 matches this season, next season we'll play more, the league, the Champions League, the Cup and maybe the Trophée des Champions.

Fewer transfers

I'm not going to give a number of transfers. The important thing is competitiveness. Rotating the squad should increase the team's competitiveness.

‘A club that doesn't respect people is not a respectable club.’

His reaction after the match in Auxerre

It was a difficult moment. With hindsight and time, I regretted my behaviour. If I had seen another club president react like that, I would have been surprised and laughed. With the adrenaline of the season, I reacted ridiculously. The president must represent the institution. I did not represent the institution at that moment. We've been through some strange situations since the start of the season, I've built it up inside and when it comes out, it's very strong. I didn't react against the refereeing. I could have channelled it differently. The coach, Medhi Benatia, everyone has worked very hard. You make an effort and in football there are situations you can't control. When situations aren't clear, when there's no trust, with the VAR operator... In a league, we could have avoided the controversy. When I see that the VAR operator's camera angle changed so that we couldn't see who the operator was, for me, that's not acceptable.

The latest on the options

We have three players on loan with an option to buy that does not depend on the Champions League: Neal Maupay, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Jonathan Rowe. For Amar Dedić and Ismaël Bennacer, the option to buy is open. We'll see what happens next for the various players.

Players whose contracts expire in 2026

I'm not in a comfortable situation with the players who have one year left on their contracts. But each case must be examined responsibly. Valentin Rongier is about to start his seventh season at the club. He has had an injury and has worked hard to get back to his current level. A club that does not respect people is not a respectable club. He has become an important player for all the coaches. There will be discussions based on mutual respect. As president, I am particularly keen on this because of his behaviour and his work to get back to his best.

Refereeing

There are always limits in life. I have exceeded those limits. I am seeking to defend the interests of the club. I am Spanish, I have worked in Italy, football is full of tension and conflict. I love that, it's part of football. Without that, it's not the football I love and it fits with the DNA of the club. You can't change that. At the end of the season, we had a very good standard of refereeing. The standard of refereeing in France is good, we have good referees. Individually, we have good referees. But there is a total lack of coordination between the referees on the pitch and the VAR. You depend a lot on the individual behaviour of the referees because there is no technical line. There is a big problem with VAR. The VAR lines in France are poorly drawn. In some stadiums, the lines are drawn manually.

‘The evolution of women's football is going to be very important.’

Taking risks in the transfer market

We took risks, thanks to our owner, Frank McCourt. We explained the season to him, the possibilities, the risks to be taken. It was a complete change from the 23-24 season. He accepted immediately. We did it thanks to the absolute support of the owner. We took risks with limits set at the beginning of the season in terms of cash flow. We have options to buy for next season. Qualifying for the Champions League doesn't mean we're going to go to the casino in Monaco. We're not going to make £40 million transfers. We're going to look for and find the best players at the prices I set. We're going to set financial targets. In season 1, we took risks; in season 2, we're going to look for the best players while balancing season 1.

Free agents like De Bruyne

I'm not going to single out one case. Signing a player with a much higher salary than our current players would be disrespectful. We want to maintain a balance in salaries. We mustn't destroy the internal balance. I experienced that at Valencia.

Defensive recruitment

We conceded a lot of goals. We compensated with our attacking play. When you start with a coach who has such a clear style of play, it's difficult to adapt. Our obligation is to give the coach the players he needs to express himself through the game. In the winter, we wanted to sign defenders, but we couldn't find any at the right price. After a year of work, we know the type of players the coach wants for his style of play. Speed is particularly important. We have to give the coach the profiles he needs to implement his style of play.

The women's team

It's very important. We want a project that is consistent with the women's section. I went to the match on Sunday. I invited my parents and we went to the OM Campus together. They enjoyed Sunday at the OM Campus more than Saturday at the Orange Vélodrome. Seeing girls who are role models, who are people to look up to, is important to them. It's close to Frank McCourt's heart. We've appointed a managing director for the women's section. Stefano Petruzzo is dedicated to women's football because he believes in it so much. He's done an extraordinary job restructuring the section. Frédéric Gonçalves has done a very good job. The evolution of women's football is going to be very important.

‘Having an owner like Frank is a gift.’

Frank McCourt's investment

He's been here three times in six weeks. We're delighted. The goal is to qualify for the Champions League every year, break into the top 24 in Europe and ensure financial stability. Frank McCourt has invested in the club. Having an owner like Frank is a gift. He can come here whenever he wants, just for fun. Seeing him three times in six weeks really touches me. He has been there for the coach, the players, from the first to the last. I thank him. We have talked a lot because we want to grow the club. We want to take the club into a period of transformation. OM is lagging behind, and we need to catch up in terms of commercial operations, branding, infrastructure, and the digital ecosystem. We need to use our qualification for the Champions League to catch up by entering a virtuous cycle.

The team

We've made changes. I'm happy with Titou Hasni's work, he's very good, especially on the human side. We've had some very good results this season. We need to improve, first and foremost in terms of infrastructure. We've secured players with contracts, we need to do some post-training with Koum and Vaz, and strengthen the second team. We've taken the Portuguese and Spanish models as examples. The gap between the U19s and the first team is huge. I don't understand why a second team plays 26 games and then the players have to play 50 games. I don't understand why the second team can't play in the second division. That's why we've developed friendly matches against other European club second teams. OM's objective is to build a squad of 18-19 strong players and supplement it with players from the team or from the academy. The Youth League will be important next year. I would like 5-6 players like Bilal Nadir, players who play regularly with the first team.

Luis Henrique

Not just with Inter Milan. We are in talks with various clubs. Our goal is to sell him before 30 June in accordance with our commitments to UEFA and the DNCG. We started discussions during the season. The Club World Cup changed the timing. The market is moving quickly. There are discussions, we are looking to give him a way out. I am proud that he has attracted the attention of big European clubs. During Covid, I told him that I wanted him to play for a top European club.

The winter transfer window review

It's not my place to judge performances on the pitch. This transfer window has allowed us to raise the overall level. Sometimes during the season, we're not objective about the players' performances. Gouiri and Bennacer have raised the level of the team, as has Dedić. Luiz Felipe Ramos has brought a lot to the team on a daily basis. He has contributed to the competitiveness and cohesion.

The 2025-2026 season ticket

This is a very important internal discussion that we have started. I am proud to have so many sold-out games. Congratulations to the teams. I would like to thank our supporters for their loyalty, especially after a year in which we finished eighth. The popular aspect of the club must be respected, and the price of tickets in the stands must reflect this. The Champions League will allow us to see some great fixtures. There is a balance to be struck between respecting the fans and the economic aspect. I am not in favour of maximising economic gain at the expense of the fans. Different economic scales are needed. There will be big fixtures, but we must respect the loyalty of our fans. A balance is needed. I want a full stadium, that is very important to me.

Organisation

The offices at the RLD centre date back to 2007. The world of work has changed in 18 years. The Commanderie and the current offices are not adaptable to the way we want to work. When I have important meetings, I do them outside. Coming to the Commanderie is like taking a trip back in time. We also need to protect the professional staff. I want to eradicate a disease, everyone in their place, athletes do sports. I wanted to isolate the athletes. Controlling information gives a lot of power. All the employees could see the training, which wasn't normal.

The OM Campus

Are you proud to see the women playing in these conditions? I'm not either. There's no approved stadium in Marseille where they can play. That's not a criticism. We have an infrastructure problem. We had the option of playing in Trets like the Pro 2, but everything wasn't in place. We're looking for a decent training ground for our team. Trets is far away. It's a major issue; we have to find somewhere to train. We're looking to develop the OM Campus. We're looking to build because we're not up to standard.

‘TV rights are a huge failure’

The gap with PSG

What is the objective? To qualify for the Champions League every year to reduce the gap. That's realistic. We have to aim for consecutive qualifications to provide continuity and increase competitiveness. We have that ambition, but it requires regular qualifications. Otherwise, it's like going to the casino. There isn't much difference between the L1 rankings and the budget rankings. It's not the same thing to have a private owner and a state owner.

The institutions

TV rights are a huge failure. They are the bane of French football and the reason for the lack of trust among our supporters. They think we are incompetent and that we live in an ivory tower. How could anyone think that supporters would pay £40 a month to follow the league? We have to respect people. We have lost all credibility. We don't tell the story of our league. We tell fans to watch a match without telling a story. We need to sell the good things about the league. The French league is complicated, one of the most exciting in Europe. It's poorly sold. We need to build up excitement during the week before a big match. We have fewer TV subscribers than Portugal, which is a disgrace. We are completely out of touch with reality. We have more expenses than income. We have to stop living in a parallel reality.

Reform of the championship

A big problem is the governance of French football. Individual interests are defended by taking decisions without thinking about the interests of football. It's opaque and lacks transparency. You're better informed by reading L'Equipe than you are as club president.

Expanding the RLD centre, a new logo

At La Commanderie, we are limited by space. We have to make do with what we have and build a top-level sports centre. We need a bigger site to accommodate more pitches. All teams need high-quality facilities.

A new logo is part of the future. It's difficult. We have to respect our history while making changes in several areas. We're working on that. We have to respect history and be recognisable.

The objective in the Europa League

Ideally, we need to get the best results. It's not a lack of ambition. We have to do as well as possible in the Champions League. I like the new Champions League format. It can create opportunities. With a second qualification, we'll be able to set ourselves objectives. Not in year one.

‘I've never worked with anyone like Adrien in my career.’

The PSG president

We can have common goals, such as how to internationalise the league. I am against any form of privileged relationships. Everything must be done transparently. Freedom is the most precious thing in life. When it comes to financial control, we have to be firm. That's what we want.

Mason Greenwood

He's a key player in the squad. We'd like to give him continuity. He's happy to be here, we're happy with his level throughout the season. 21 goals in the league and one in the French Cup, we're happy. There have been ups and downs. It was his first season here, without any preparation.

Adrien Rabiot

We haven't had all the conversations. I've never worked with someone like Adrien in my career, on a human level, in terms of being a role model. He's the first to arrive and the last to leave. He's an example. We want to continue. For us, Adrien must be a very important player, a leader alongside others, because good players have helped us. He can be a symbol of OM's transformation. I would like Adrien to be that example.

The budget

It would be disrespectful if I called on the owner for help every year. The budget will increase with the Champions League. The Champions League economy helps stabilise the budget. The owner doesn't have a magic credit card to solve all the mistakes.