Will Pape Diouf be our president next season?

By: Magnusson | June 12th, 2009

We all know how Marseille is a very popular club and how jealous of Pape Diouf a lot of people are and have become. His position is the hardest one in France without question but a lot of people would want that prestige for themselves. The president has been criticized internally for months now if not years by a few people at the club, namely Vincent Labrune, who has been gunning for his spot ever since he got Robert Louis-Dreyfus‘ ears and is much closer to the magnate than Diouf is.

This wednesday night, Pape Diouf skipped one of the Directory’s meetings in Paris to take care of the club in Marseille. This created a new polemic, as it was believed that a few members of that directory would be criticizing him for the Ribery incident and his handling of the whole Gerets situation.

Fist of all, with the Ribery situation, an internet website revealed earlier this month that Pape Diouf gave Franck Ribery a 500.000 euros incentive for him to go to the clash with his then employers of Galatasaray and make possible his arrival at Marseille. This alledgedly happened and Ribery allegedly confessed to it in a mailing kept by hi ancient agent, Bruno Heiderscheid.

If we remember correctly, Ribery came back to Marseille after six months in Galatasaray from Metz on reasons that he had never been paid and that there were threats made against him there and a few other things.

Now aside from that affair that never really was proven nor followed, it seems the owner wasn’t pleased with the fact that Erik Gerets left and Labrune was about to make him explain himself. If we remember correctly, the whole Gerets situation is one that was caused by bruised egos and misunderstandings. Gerets himself told since that he was sorry he reacted so quickly.

But let’s be clear, it is Robert Louis-Dreyfus‘ declarations in December in L’Equipe and Le10sport that were the source of it all. When Robert Louis-Dreyfus says “They better win or they’ll all be fired!” (or something tasteful in the lines of that), he creates a problem where there isn’t one. Pape Diouf then believes the owner (who is sick and doesn’t come to Marseille often) doesn’t want Gerets anymore. He then takes it upon himself to go see Spongebob and asks him the permission to re-sign Gerets. Permission granted but by that time, it was already too late. Diouf then immediatly signed Deschamps but everyone agrees Gerets was the most natural fit.

Anyways, this Vincent Labrune chracter wants Diouf‘’s job but as everyone in Marseille puts it, he’ll have to have the b***s to come and sit where Pape Diouf is sitting. With every single problem that comes at you sideways in this city, let’s not forget that you can’t be presiding from Paris and that’s in Marseille that things are and not in the Capitol’s restaurants. Now Labrune will have to come out and talk. Enough with the cowardice.

My personal poition is clear, Pape Diouf i wihout a doubt the best president of the Louis-Dreyfus era and this would be the WORST (and I can’t stress that enough) mistake ever made by this club if the owner let’s himself influenced enough and let’s him go. Pape Diouf is the best President of a football club that isn’t Jean-Michel Aulas (but he’s also an owner) and Marseille is headed to its fourth straight Champion League campaign.

We’ll see how this unfolds in the future but we, here at the Marseille offside, stand 100% behind Pape Diouf, Jose Anigo and Didier Deschamps.