Marseille president Diouf defends record after criticism

Marseille club president Pape Diouf has firmly defended his record at France’s biggest club following an attack by major shareholder Robert Louis-Dreyfus.

The 1993 European Champions League winners, the best-supported team in France, have been the subjest of a media frenzy this week after former president Louis-Dreyfus criticised Diouf’s record, mainly the club’s lack of silverware.

Diouf, who has been reportedly ready to quit, has been clearly taken aback by the criticism of his record since being at the helm of the club since February 2005.

He hit back to say in Thursday’s La Marseillaise newspaper: “I think as the main financial backer of the club, as he has been for many years, he has the right to express himself. But I don’t think he chose the right time to speak out.

“I also don’t think everything he said was fair. Since I have been at the helm, one, I have added a certain stability. Two, the accounts are in the black. Three, good relations have been built between the club and its supporters.

“Four, there’s no dodgy dossier in a draw somewhere which could lead to a judge taking an interest in our activities. Five, we have qualified for the Champions League for the past two seasons. I think my record has been a good one,” adding: “I will continue to work in the same way.”

An extract with Louis-Dreyfus in Wednesday’s L’Equipe had read: “If Pape Diouf had been at Sochaux and he had managed to balance the books, that would be okay. But as our budget (121 million-euro turn over) is the biggest in the league apart from Lyon, we must at least finish first or second in the table.”

He added the return in terms of trophies had been poor considering the money ploughed into the club.

In the French league, Marseille were fifth in both 2005 and 2006, second in 2007 and third last season, having left behind the successful yet controversial Bernard Tapie years at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s which culminated in Marseille being barred from defending their 1993 Champions League win because of a match-fixing scandal.

Diouf’s choice of coach in former top Belgian international Eric Gerets has generally believed to have been a good one.

Diouf has been unhappy at being called to account but the absence of silverware — Marseille lost two French Cup finals in 2006 and 2007 and were twice eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage — has led to huge disappointment from demanding fans.