Marseille’s chaotic season takes another twist as sporting director Benatia returns after resigning

Marseille's chaotic season took another twist on Tuesday as sporting director Medhi Benatia returned to the club two days after quitting.

He resigned on Sunday, just days after the departure of coach Roberto De Zerbi. But, in a statement, the club's American owner Frank McCourt said Benatia had agreed to come back until the end of the season to “oversee all sporting activities.”

As a consequence, club president Pablo Longoria moves into a more institutional role "in order to represent Marseille within French and especially European bodies,” added the statement, which was shared by several media outlets.

Marseille drew 2-2 at home to Strasbourg on Saturday, after leading 2-0, and sits 12 points behind leader Lens in fourth place. That draw followed a crushing 5-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain and elimination from the Champions League after a 3-0 loss at Club Brugge, leading to a furious response from the fans.

Benatia was reportedly loyal to De Zerbi, who left three days after the humiliating PSG defeat.

During Saturday's match against Strasbourg, both stands behind the goals were vacated by the club's Ultras in protest. One banner urged McCourt and Longoria to leave, along with the words “all of your projects go up in smoke!"

Nine-time French champion Marseille has not won a trophy since the now-defunct League Cup in 2012. The club realistically only has the French Cup to play for. It is at home to Toulouse in the quarterfinals next month.

McCourt was expected to meet with some of the Ultras groups later on Tuesday, amid reports Habib Beye would soon be named as coach.

A Marseille defender from 2003-07, Beye was sacked by Rennes last Monday.

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Marseille's interim coach Jacques Abardonado, left, sits on the bench prior to the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, center, clears the ball past Strasbourg's Julio Enciso during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Banners protesting the club owner are placed on the stands during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg reacts at the end of the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

FILE - Medhi Benatia talks to journalists during a news conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The long-ago first husband of former first lady Jill Biden is set to appear in court Tuesday in Delaware on charges he killed his current wife.

William Stevenson, 77, is expected to enter a plea in the first-degree murder case. He was married to Jill Biden from 1970 to 1975.

A state grand jury this month charged Stevenson with killing Linda Stevenson, 64, who was found unresponsive at their home Dec. 28. He has remained in custody since the Feb. 3 charges, unable to post the $500,000 bail.

Court records made public so far do not list a defense lawyer for him.

William Stevenson founded the Stone Balloon, a popular music venue in Newark, Delaware, in the early 1970s.

Linda Stevenson ran a bookkeeping business and was described in her obituary as a family-oriented mother and grandmother and a Philadelphia Eagles fan. The obituary does not mention her husband.

“One hug from her and all your worries would disappear,” her daughter, Christine Mae, wrote in a Facebook post. “The pain of losing her is paralyzing and the emptiness in my heart is an abyss.”

Jill Biden married U.S. Sen. Joe Biden in 1977. He served as U.S. president from January 2021 to January 2025. Jill Biden’s spokesperson has said she has no comment on the Stevenson case.

This undated photo released by New Castle County Police, Del., on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, shows William Stevenson. (New Castle County Police via AP)

The home of William Stevenson, the ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden, is shown in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Stevenson has been charged in the killing his current wife at the home. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)