MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi is leaving the French league club in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of PSG in French soccer biggest game.
The nine-time French champions said on Wednesday that they have ended “their collaboration by mutual agreement.”
The heavy loss Sunday at the Parc des Princes restored defending champion PSG’s two-point lead over Lens after 21 rounds, with Marseille in fourth place after the humiliating defeat.
De Zerbi's exit followed another embarrassing 3-0 loss at Club Brugge two weeks ago that resulted in Marseille exiting the Champions League.
De Zerbi, who had apologized to Marseille fans after the loss against bitter rival PSG, joined Marseille in 2024 after two seasons in charge at Brighton. After tightening things up tactically in Marseille during his first season, his recent choices had left many observers puzzled.
“Following consultations involving all stakeholders in the club’s leadership — the owner, president, director of football and head coach — it was decided to opt for a change at the head of the first team,” Marseille said. “This was a collective and difficult decision, taken after thorough consideration, in the best interests of the club and in order to address the sporting challenges of the end of the season.”
De Zerbi led Marseille to a second-place finish last season. Marseille did not immediately announce a replacement for De Zerbi ahead of Saturday's league match against Strasbourg.
Since American owner Frank McCourt bought Marseille in 2016, the former powerhouse of French soccer has failed to find any form of stability, with a succession of coaches and crises that sometimes turned violent.
Marseille dominated domestic soccer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the only French team to win the Champions League before PSG claimed the trophy last year. It hasn’t won its own league title since 2010.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Marseille's head coach Roberto De Zerbi gives instructions during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Marseille in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 11, 2026--
Cynozure, a leading data and AI consultancy, today announced the launch of The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact – Cynozure’s 2026 State of the Industry Report.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260211780584/en/
Based on insights from 60 senior data and AI leaders across sectors including retail, financial services, consumer goods, technology and non-profit, the report explores how organisations are broadening their focus from building data and AI capability to delivering measurable business outcomes.
Key findings include:
“AI has propelled data into the boardroom,” said Jason Foster, Founder and CEO at Cynozure. “The challenge now is not whether organisations can use data and AI, but whether it is making a meaningful difference to the P&L. Many teams have invested heavily in platforms, teams and experimentation, but still struggle to evidence impact. The organisations that pull ahead in 2026 will be those that treat data and AI as a portfolio of products, tied to outcomes and measured with strong investment and commercial discipline.”
The report also finds that data products are becoming a key mechanism for turning AI capability into sustained performance. Over 70% of leaders expect data products to drive the most value in operational excellence and autonomy, followed by customer experience and growth, and financial performance.
“Data products, and increasingly decision products, are how leaders are turning strategy into reality,” said Tim Connold, Chief Client Officer at Cynozure. “By framing data and AI as products that support specific decisions, organisations can focus investment on what matters most and track Return on Data Investment (RODI)™ in a way that resonates with boards and investors.”
The 2026 State of Data and AI Leadership survey was in field from 28 October to 21 November 2025. Respondents were 60 senior data professionals, including Chief Data Officers, Chief Data and Analytics Officers, Chief Data and AI Officers, VPs and Directors of Data, Heads of Data and other senior executives, with nearly half of respondents reporting revenue over £1B.
The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact – Cynozure’s 2026 State of the Industry Report is available to download now.
Download the full report: https://www.cynozure.com/state-of-the-industry-report-2026/
About Cynozure
Cynozure is a consultancy that helps leaders ensure data and AI investment translates into clear P&L impact. The company works with organisations to shape data and AI strategies tied to business goals, design and deliver data and decision products that drive real outcomes, build architectures and governance that enable fast and safe platforms, improve data culture and literacy, and define and track Return on Data Investment (RODI)™.
Cynozure also runs the CDO Hub, an exclusive members’ community where data leaders collaborate, share, learn and grow, and produces the Hub & Spoken podcast, one of the most listened to podcasts in the industry. The company has been recognised as one of The Sunday Times’ fastest-growing private companies and as DataIQ’s Best Place to Work in Data in both 2023 and 2024. Cynozure is a certified B Corporation.
For more information, visit www.cynozure.com.
Based on insights from 60 senior data and AI leaders across sectors, The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact — Cynozure’s 2026 State of the Industry Report — explores how organisations are moving from building capability to delivering measurable outcomes.
