Stéphane Richard named Marseille president as McCourt seeks stability

Olympique de Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Stéphane Richard as president of the club’s executive board, with owner Frank McCourt turning to a senior corporate operator to stabilise leadership and reinforce the club’s commercial platform.Richard, 64, is due to take up the role after a transition period that is expected to run until early July, replacing interim president Alban Juster and succeeding Pablo Longoria, who departed earlier this year.McCourt positioned the move as a strategic hire rather than a football-first appointment, with an emphasis on executive experience and local knowledge at a time when Ligue 1 clubs are facing heightened financial and regulatory pressure.Frank McCourt said: “Marseille needs a strong leader, with executive experience – particularly at this moment in time when there are so many challenges in French football.”Richard used his first public remarks to acknowledge the environment around the club and to signal a focus on rebuilding trust with key stakeholders, including supporters, partners and local institutions.Stéphane Richard said: “It is an honour and a great emotion for me to be named president.”He also indicated the appointment comes with an expectation of organisational calm after a turbulent stretch on and off the pitch, adding that the club “needs to pacify the environment around it” and improve dialogue with supporters.Richard’s background is closely tied to Marseille’s own commercial assets, having led Orange during the period when the Stade Vélodrome naming rights deal was rebranded as the Orange Vélodrome in 2016, which has been one of the club’s most visible long-term sponsorship properties.At a club where sporting results, fan pressure and executive turnover have repeatedly collided, McCourt’s choice of a high-profile business figure suggests a push to professionalise decision-making, strengthen governance and provide greater predictability for sponsors and investors.The appointment also lands against a wider backdrop of instability in French football, with clubs increasingly focused on cost control, revenue diversification and balance-sheet resilience, making credible leadership and stakeholder management commercially material.Marseille’s immediate priorities are likely to include securing UEFA competition participation and protecting matchday, sponsorship and media-related revenues, while aligning the sporting department with a clearer reporting structure after recent disruption.Richard is expected to begin formally in July, with the club using the transition period to hand over responsibilities and define operating roles across the executive board ahead of the 2026–27 cycle.