Marseille confirm Villas-Boas as the man to steer their march to glory
Andre Villas-Boas will lead Marseille into the 2020/21 season, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
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The announcement ended speculation that the 42-year-old Portuguese was on the verge of quitting after the departure of Antoni Zubizarreta, the sporting director who brought him to the club last summer.
The announcement that Villas-Boas will remain in charge came hours after supporters' groups hit out at club directors for what they described as years of ruinous management.
Fans also criticised the system of refunds for seat-holders deprived of matches after the French top flight season ended prematurely.
One option proposed by the club was for season-ticket holders not to get a refund and instead donate the money to help bolster club finances.
Unhappy fans
"It seemed logical to us a month ago to give this money to the club to help it through a difficult period," the fans wrote in a joint statement.
"However, information since then has led us to question this. It's clear that we are in financial difficulty due to years of ruinous management.
"It's easy to ask for financial support from fans ... while at the same time the president is incapable of overseeing a dressing room with astronomical salary claims.”
When the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) declared the season over due to the coronavirus pandemic, Marseille were in second place 12 points behind Paris Saint-Germain. They were six points ahead of third placed Rennes.
The LFP anointed PSG champions and as runners-up, Marseille were awarded a place in the group stages of the Uefa Champions League - the first time they have graced European football’s most prestigious competition for seven years.
Villas-Boas was last involved in the competition in the 2015/16 season when he led Zenit St Petersburg to the last 16.
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