Marseille manager offers resignation over club’s ‘sporting policy’

Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas says he has offered his resignation because he disagreed with the club’s “sporting policy”.

He highlighted the arrival of Olivier Ntcham from Celtic during the January transfer window – a player he did not want to sign.

Marseille have yet to accept or reject his resignation.

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I don’t want anything from Marseille. I don’t want money,” said Villas-Boas, who was named boss in 2019.

He told a news conference on Tuesday: “I’m waiting for an answer, it could be no and then we would continue. I don’t want any money, I just want to leave.”

On Ntcham, he said: “The transfer window finished with the arrival of a new player. A decision which wasn’t taken by me. I had nothing to do with this decision.

In fact I learnt about it in the press this morning. It is precisely a player for whom I said no [to signing]. He was never a player on our list.”

It comes just three days after Marseille’s home match against Rennes was postponed following violent scenes at their training ground.

Local police said 300 Marseille supporters “violently attacked” officers at the training centre on Saturday.

There have been a number of protests in recent weeks by Marseille fans about the way the club is being run, on and off the pitch.

Villas-Boas said the weekend’s events “had nothing to do” with his decision to resign.

He led the club to second in Ligue 1 last season but said on Friday he was unlikely to get a contract extension beyond June and was set to leave at the end of the present campaign.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss added: “The place needs a clear-out, including myself.”

Marseille are currently ninth in Ligue 1 and were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League.

Source: BBC