Post-Munich

A COMPLICATED POST-MUNICH PERIOD

On 26 May 1993, OM were on top of Europe. Bernard Tapie's club had just won the Champions League against AC Milan in Munich thanks to a Basile Boli header (1-0). OM had reached the holy grail and were dreaming of an even more prestigious future. But a league match played a few days earlier before the final was to lead OM into hell, but the Marseille club didn't know it yet. The aftermath of Munich would be very, very complicated...

On 20 May 1993, Marseille took on Valenciennes in the 36th round of matches in the French top flight. Les Olympiens won by the slimmest of margins thanks to a Bokšić goal (0-1). However, after the match, the northern club revealed that OM had attempted to bribe them. Jacques Glassman revealed that Jean-Pierre Bernès, managing director of Olympique de Marseille, and Jean-Jacques Eydelie, one of his former team-mates, had contacted him and two other Valenciennes players, Christophe Robert and Jorge Burruchaga, the day before the game to encourage them to ease up on the match. Bernès allegedly offered them 200,000 francs each in exchange, which Robert and Burruchaga accepted.

This affair was to have consequences. A judicial investigation was opened in June 1993 and in September, OM were excluded from the 1993-1994 Champions League by the UEFA Executive Committee, as well as the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup. The FFF also decided to withdraw OM's 1993 French league title.

DEMOTION TO second Division

Despite the troubles, the club from Marseille, led by Deschamps, Boli, Anderson, Völler, Di Meco, Barthez, Stojković and many others, finished second in the first division at the end of the 1993-1994 season and reached the quarter-finals of the French Cup against Montpellier. But at the end of the season, OM, coached by Marc Bourrier, were demoted administratively because of the VA-OM affair. Marseille will be able to console themselves with the UEFA Cup, since Tapie's club has been authorised to play in the European competition.

OM was forced to downsize. Several major players left the club, including Deschamps, Boli and Di Méco. Tapie put his faith in old hands (Germain, Ferreri, Dib, Casoni, Cascarino). Irish striker Tony Cascarino shone brightly, scoring 31 league goals that season. He finished top scorer in the D2.

The 1994-1995 season saw a number of coaching changes. Marc Bourrier was replaced by Gérard Gili as first-team coach in December 1994, but Gili's contract was invalidated. Henri Stambouli then took his place on the Marseille bench. OM lost eight league matches during the season, but finished top of the D2 league. In the UEFA Cup, the Provençal side were eliminated in the last sixteen by FC Sion after beating Olympiakos in the previous round. And Stambouli's team were eliminated in the semi-finals of the French Cup by PSG (2-0). Unfortunately, the DNCG did not authorise OM to return to Ligue 1. The Provençal club is heavily in debt and will have to spend another season in Ligue 2.

OM BACK AT THE TOP 

For the 1995-1996 season, Roussier was the new president of the club.He confirmed Stambouli as coach, but poor results at the start of the season prompted the chairman to appoint Gérard Gili as first-team coach.Amoros, Libbra, Cascarino, Durand, Ferrer and Alonzo managed to lift OM to second place in the table, just behind Caen, and to the semi-finals of the French Cup (losing to Auxerre on penalties).After two very difficult years in the second division, OM finally returned to the top flight!