Marseille (AFP)

This season, truncated by the coronavirus, finally smiled at Olympique de Marseille, sporty shark. It is time to take stock for an exercise concluded by a return to the Champions League unheard of since 2013, which will help to redress struggling finances.

"Vice champion of France!" In his message posted on Instagram, André Villas-Boas does not sulk his pleasure, once the 2nd place in Ligue 1 ratified last week.

The Portuguese coach can well afford to snap a few suspenders and speak of an "extraordinary feat". When he had set this C1 goal at the dawn of the season, he was one of the few who believed it.

And yet, when the pandemic stopped the championship, "AVB" and his team were comfortably coiled in the position of the runner-up, six points ahead of Rennes (3rd).

The results of this shortened season remain very positive, a year after a failed exercise ended outside Europe and in a climate of general distrust.

Led in particular by Dimitri Payet and Steve Mandanda in international form, the workforce has regained pace. The pearl Boubacar Kamara has asserted itself, four players from the football school have started as professionals this season, highlighting the club's progress in training.

The three recruits, Alvaro Gonzalez behind, Valentin Rongier in the middle and Dario Benedetto in front, imposed themselves, ensuring the most successful transfer window of the Jacques-Henri Eyraud era (president) -Andoni Zubizarreta (sports director).

Suddenly, the Velodrome stadium regained its full voice and turned to 53,039 spectators per match, "a result which places OM in the European top 20 behind Liverpool", underlines the club.

- Impeded by financial fair play -

Marseille also continued its digital transformation, notably expanding its community around the world with 13 million accounts following OM on the various social networks.

In short, the sportsman and the OM brand are doing well. But the giant of Marseille is still hampered by financial fair play (FPF).

After having finished last season with a deficit of 91.4 million euros, OM is again set for a 2019/2020 fiscal year in the red, aggravated by the losses due to the stop of the L1.

The case is currently before the UEFA judging chamber for exceeding last season and the penalty should be known in June, according to the sports daily L'Equipe.

"By buying OM, I knew there would be ups and downs, but our long-term vision exceeds these daily contingencies," said owner Frank McCourt in a statement.

At the club, we don't comment on the figures. It is explained that the necessary phase of "massive investments" is over, and that now OM must aim for "sustainability", as explained by Eyraud in the same press release.

- The windfall of the C1 -

"We are working," hammer the leaders, and indeed there is work to be done. If the club counted on the sale of a few players, the famous "trading", to rectify the accounts, the expected bursting of the bubble in the transfer market complicates the deal.

Like the other clubs, OM also lost out on ticketing and TV rights absent from the end of the season.

Finally the vice-champion of France 2020 still did not agree with his players for a drop in salary during the coronavirus period. And the payroll (EUR 127 million for last season) weighs very heavily.

All is not black in finances, OM can count on the comfortable income brought by the C1, that is to say between 50 and 60 M EUR, even if it were necessary to play behind closed doors.

Tuesday, AVB reminded RMC that if he wanted to "make the Champions League in Marseille", you had to have the means and build a solid team, otherwise "it is not worth it".

With what number? The unfortunate Florian Thauvin, who will have played only twice ten minutes this season, assured on his networks that he remained.

For the time being, the closest reinforcement is the Senegalese striker from Rennes, Mbaye Niang, according to concordant sources.

But the transfer window is still far away. In the meantime, the players are summoned in turn for individual post-deconfinement tests and to prepare for the first season of the second phase of the Marseille project. With panache, and a little gold.

© 2020 AFP