Former Olympique de Marseille president Pape Diouf has weighed in on the ongoing dispute between OM and the Marseille town hall over the use and rental cost of the Vélodrome stadium.
OM, dissatisfied with the €8 million annual rent, has threatened to relocate its home matches—potentially to Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier—as a pressure tactic. Diouf, however, strongly criticized this approach, urging for compromise and rationality.
“We need to find a middle ground between the two extreme positions,” Diouf told La Provence. “I can understand that €8 million is a very significant sum for OM. But the stadium will generate new resources. This is not where OM should make savings; they are made in the purchases and sales of players, and in controlling the payroll.”
Diouf emphasized that relocating matches outside Marseille is not the solution and offered his services as a mediator in the conflict:
“If necessary, yes. I am always ready to listen and see which way is in OM’s interest. We must be able to find a solution. On the one hand, we must stop blackmailing; on the other, we must stop saying: ‘It’s like this and no other way…'”
Pape Diouf’s call for dialogue and balance may bring a much-needed voice of reason to a standoff that risks alienating supporters and disrupting the club’s season.
