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Longoria put his hand up and expressed that the words he used weren’t appropriate and explained how the terminology denotes something broader in his native tongue.
Ligue 1 Club Marseille President Pablo Longoria. (X)
Ligue 1 side Marseille president Pablo Longoria expressed regret over his comments following his side’s defeat to Auxerre. The 38-year-old Spaniard launched into a tirade along the lines of “this is real corruption” after feeling hard done by refereeing decisions during his side’s 3-0 defeat at the Stade de l’Abbe-Deschamps.
Longoria put his hand up and expressed that the words he used weren’t appropriate and explained how the terminology denotes something broader in his native tongue.
“It wasn’t appropriate and that word, yes, I regret it,” Longoria said.
“Everyone explained to me what it (corruption) meant in French, because in Spanish it has a broader meaning. Mind you, that doesn’t justify anything. But I’ve never in my life thought of anything like money exchanges or financial transactions, never,” he added.
“I’d like to say that there’s no corruption in French football. But that there are things that aren’t clear and that need to be improved, for everyone, yes,” the contrite Spaniard said.
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However, he added that takes responsibility for his words and revealed how he holds himself to high standards in his role of the president of one of the most storied clubs in France.
“I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done,” he said.
“I’m always very self-critical and I can’t accept that kind of image. A president can’t behave like that. Nothing justifies it and I’m not happy with myself,” Longoria added
“Even if nothing justifies it, you have to understand how this anger arises. My first responsibility is to defend my club. There have been many refereeing decisions this season in which I feel OM have been put at a disadvantage,” he signed off.
Marseille stand second in Ligue 1 with 46 points from 23 games, well behind leaders PSG who have amassed 59 points in the campaign under the tutelage of Luis Enrique.