A few weeks ago, it was announced that Mehdi Benatia would be the new sports director for Olympique de Marseille. However, his official appointment is still pending due to some legal issues.
As per the report of L'Equipe, the appointment is scheduled to take place by the end of this week.
In 2016, Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia worked together at Juventus, where Longoria was the head of scouting. This collaboration sparked Longoria's interest in Benatia, which led to him offering Benatia the position of sporting director at Marseille. Benatia accepted the offer with great enthusiasm.
According to L'Equipe, Benatia prioritizes the Marseille project over financial gain as he aspires to become a sports director.
Although October saw significant progress, formal measures have yet to occur.
The delay is due to legal issues. OM leaders are working to resolve them to avoid any conflict of interest. This is because Benatia was involved in the arrival of Azzedine Ounahi at the club last January.
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According to L'Equipe, Mehdi Benatia is expected to replace Javier Ribalta. However, his authority as the new appointee is expected to be limited compared to his predecessor.
To prevent any potential conflict of interest, Benatia's appointment will take place only after the shares of his agent company have been transferred.
After becoming a player agent, the Moroccan pushed for Azzedine Ounahi's transfer to OM.
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