Speaking to La Provence, Marco Otero, the technical director of Olympique de Marseille’s academy has said that the unique context of the Meditteranean city makes it difficult to bring players through.
Otero has been the technical director of Marseille’s academy since May 2022, and alongside Yann Daniélou (head of OM’s academy), he has the objective of developing youth players to integrate the first team. Despite Les Phocéens’ standing in French and European football, the club’s academy has long since been seen as a weakness. Some, such as Iliman Ndiaye, have had to move away in order to develop. The former Sheffield United forward returned to his boyhood club earlier this summer.
“Either become a footballer at OM, or you become a drug trafficker” – Otero
During the now infamous meeting between OM’s executives and supporter groups in mid-September, which saw manager Marcelino leave the club, as well as president Pablo Longoria temporarily step back from his role, the departure of around 30 locally-based academy products last summer was brought up. The academy’s decision to do so was criticised, and speaking to La Provence, Otero has now responded, “It makes me laugh, but the problem of not being from Marseille is only when the players aren’t good. Enzo Sternal, everyone asks why he isn’t in the first team, but he’s from Nancy; Barryl Barkola isn’t from Marseille and that isn’t a problem. OM are going to continue to make decisions based on the quality and potential of players,” said the technical director of OM’s academy.
Otero also evoked the particulates of bringing through a footballer in the city of Marseille. “For me, Marseille is a mix of Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Naples and maybe a bit of Valence. We forget that we’re the poorest city in France. Here, there are two options to have an exceptional future in the short term: either you become a footballer at OM, or you become a drug trafficker… and I’m not talking about a seller on the corner of the street. We can’t get young people to understand that you can study like Abdou Sbihi (medical technical director) or Robert Nazaretian (president’s advisor), and that, even if you won’t be a billionaire, you’ll have an exceptional life,” he said.
Otero added, “You will still be able to get your family out of the neighbourhood. One day, a family wanted me to help them get out of their neighbourhood. I told the kid: ‘You want to get your family out of the neighbourhood? Go play with the pros. Pablo Longoria and the club have the means to pay good salaries to good players.’ The family was blinded by the importance of a signing-on bonus of €80,000 at the age of 13.”
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
