Mason Greenwood’s move to Marseille has reportedly triggered a boardroom dispute that led to a police report being filed. The argument reportedly occurred after a staff member questioned the transfer from Manchester United. Reports in France claim that sporting director Medhi Benatia clashed with a member of the club’s senior leadership team, resulting in a “heated confrontation”.
Internal Dispute Over Transfer Decisions
According to La Provence, a senior executive at Stade Velodrome filed the police report following an internal dispute in the summer of 2024. Tensions reportedly escalated between Benatia and Cecilia Barontini. Barontini was reportedly tasked by club president Pablo Longoria with overseeing administrative matters alongside Alban Juster. Issues were reportedly taken with a number of decisions made at the time.
One decision involved the acquisition of Greenwood. Marseille reportedly made a permanent transfer offer to Manchester United after Greenwood impressed during a loan spell at Getafe in 2023-24. A £27 million deal was eventually agreed. Greenwood was allowed to leave Old Trafford after all charges against him in a case relating to allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour were dropped in February 2023.
Objections to Greenwood’s Signing
La Provence reports that Barontini “opposed” the signing of Greenwood. She also reportedly objected to an approach for Youcef Atal. Atal had previously received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine from a Nice court after sharing an antisemitic video following the Gaza Strip attacks on October 7, 2023.
Barontini also reportedly raised concerns regarding the conduct of Ali Zarrak. Zarrak had become a prominent figure in Marseille’s sporting structure alongside Benatia. The alleged disagreements reportedly came to a head over several weeks.
Confrontation in Longoria’s Office
La Provence claims the internal dispute “culminated in a heated confrontation in Longoria’s office at La Commanderie”. Barontini is said to have subsequently filed an incident report that was recorded by local police.
Marseille president Longoria revealed he sought his mother’s advice before committing to the Greenwood deal in 2024. He told The Telegraph: “For me, it’s correct to speak openly about it. Creating taboos in life is never positive. For us it was a massive market opportunity from a sporting perspective where we analysed, very carefully, what really happened.
“In that case, having done due diligence and having all the information – and this is the first time I speak about this – with all the information I called my mother. And I said ‘what do you think, knowing all the situation?’ And my mother, who used to work in the prison system in Spain, having a very innovative prison system model in Spain – she was recognised with the medal of the state – so I ask her, having