PARIS (AP) — Two coaches in a season. The best player sold. A new president. A sporting director who resigned then stayed. A change of captain. Team-bonding trips to Spain.
It's another chaotic season at Marseille with the club facing the dismal prospect of failing to reach the Champions League. Marseille is sixth in Ligue 1 with only the top three qualifying directly and only four games left.
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FILE - Marseille's head coach Roberto De Zerbi prior to the French League One soccer match between Lens and Marseille in Lens, France, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
FILE -General view of Stade Velodrome stadium during the Euro 2016 Group A soccer match between France and Albania in Marseille, France, June 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File)
FILE - Rennes' head coach Habib Beye smiles during the French League One soccer match between Rennes and Nice, Oct. 26, 2025 in Rennes, western France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez, File)
FILE - Marseille players warm up prior to the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Union SG and Marseilles in Brussels, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
Sporting director Medhi Benatia, who quit in February following the departure of coach Roberto De Zerbi only to change his mind, launched a scathing attack on the players after Saturday's 2-0 loss at Lorient. Benatia has made several rants before but the same problems persist.
Habib Beye replaced De Zerbi and has lost five of nine matches — including an embarrassing French Cup quarterfinal defeat at home to Toulouse. After the Lorient game, Beye said he was “very angry” and prepared to make big changes.
However, the Lorient loss came after Beye took his players on a team-bonding trip to Marbella for the second time since taking charge, and it made no difference.
In a complete U-turn, the players will have double training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to sports daily L'Equipe, and will stay on site at the Marseille training camp from Thursday until Sunday's home game against Nice.
So what's going wrong at Marseille and who's really to blame for the ongoing chaos? Here's a look at some key points.
After every poor performance — Saturday's against Lorient; the 3-0 defeat at Bruges on the final day of the Champions League group stage that ended Marseille's hopes of making the playoffs; the humiliating 5-0 reverse at Paris Saint-Germain; the sloppy draw at Paris FC, or the 2-0 home defeat to lowly Nantes — the same phrase is repeated, whether by a player, a director, or the coach.
Namely that the performance in question was “unworthy of Marseille,” which used to be France's biggest club.
The first French team to win the Champions League in 1993, Marseille held bragging rights over PSG until the latter won it last year.
But the harsh reality is that Marseille is no longer a big club in Europe, and maybe not even in France other than historically. For Marseille has not won a trophy since the League Cup 14 years ago, and has not won Ligue 1 since 2010.
After winning a tight league game against Lyon last season, the players did a lap of honor and posed for a group photo. It only served to underline how Marseille is a team which overly-celebrates individual wins in the absence of trophies.
Yet the perception about being a big club still persists.
Marseille's poor defending has been evident for several seasons, with central defender Leonardo Balerdi making countless high-profile blunders. He was at fault for both Lorient goals on Saturday, failing to mark the striker each time, having made a similar mistake in the French Cup loss to Toulouse.
Bafflingly, he has been kept in the side by Beye — a former defender himself. Beye stripped him of the captaincy and gave it to midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, but to no positive effect.
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot was Marseille's best player last season and helped the club finish second behind PSG.
He played only one game this season before being transferred out along with forward Jonathan Rowe, following their locker-room brawl at Rennes.
“When you see behavior like that, you can't let it go,” Benatia said about Rabiot, who was sold to AC Milan and scored the winner on Sunday.
Rabiot has 57 caps for France and his assured presence and leadership qualities have been sorely missed. Marseille was bereft of leadership against Lorient and Benatia even accused his players of apathy.
“How many of the players after the game came (into the dressing room) and tipped the table upside down?” Benatia said. “None. Everything’s spotless. All the (water) bottles are in place. Which means that you play for Marseille and you accept a performance like that?”
Yet Rabiot was sold, although misguidedly, for showing fight.
Marseille recently hired Stéphane Richard as its new president. He will replace Alban Juster, who has been there on an interim basis since Pablo Longoria was replaced. Longoria's tenure was marked by a heavy turnover of players bought and sold.
“It’s incredibly difficult to get a team playing well when a third or half of the squad changes every year,” Richard said in a recent interview. “The first thing this club needs is a certain stability.”
That has not been the case.
Teenage prospects Robinio Vaz and Darryl Bakola were sold by Marseille in January even though both had impressed in the first team — with Vaz showing some great finishing skills.
Striker Bamba Dieng was involved in both goals for Lorient against Marseille over the weekend. He burst onto the scene with a flurry of goals for Marseille four years ago, including one in the Europa Conference League semifinal against Feyenoord.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Marseille's head coach Roberto De Zerbi prior to the French League One soccer match between Lens and Marseille in Lens, France, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
FILE -General view of Stade Velodrome stadium during the Euro 2016 Group A soccer match between France and Albania in Marseille, France, June 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File)
FILE - Rennes' head coach Habib Beye smiles during the French League One soccer match between Rennes and Nice, Oct. 26, 2025 in Rennes, western France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez, File)
FILE - Marseille players warm up prior to the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Union SG and Marseilles in Brussels, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
The U.S. Navy's forcible seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship threw doubt on an announcement from President Donald Trump that U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran.
Trump's announcement Sunday had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday said Tehran did not have plans yet to attend any talks with the United States.
Trump said the U.S. seized the cargo ship that tried to circumvent a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
Iran’s joint military command said Tehran will respond soon and called the U.S. seizure an act of piracy.
The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed fighting that has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
Here is the latest:
It is the first time that Chinese President Xi Jinping has publicly called for the reopening of the waterway. He made the comments in a call Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Xi said that China supported an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire” and backed any efforts at restoring peace in the Middle East, according to a readout of the call published by the official Xinhua news agency.
Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia was committed to resolving the conflict through dialogue and hoped to avoid further escalation.
Iranian authorities have expressed willingness to send a delegation for a second round of talks in Islamabad this week, two Pakistani officials said Monday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said there is cautious optimism that delegations from both Iran and the United States could travel to Islamabad.
They added that Pakistan will not share details about either side’s travel plans due to security considerations.
They also urged media outlets to avoid speculation about the timing of the talks, saying the process remains fluid.
President Joseph Aoun’s comments hinted Beirut will not accept that Iran negotiates on its behalf as part of U.S.-Iran talks.
Aoun said a Lebanese delegation led by diplomat Simon Karam will lead the next round of talks with Israel, as a 10-day fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remains in place. The date for the talks has not been confirmed yet.
“No one will participate with Lebanon in this mission or replace it,” Aoun said in a statement. He said the aim of the negotiations is to halt “hostile actions, end the Israeli occupation of southern areas, and deploy the army up to the internationally recognized southern borders.”
He said Lebanon faces two options: the continuation of the war, or negotiations to end it. Hezbollah has expressed opposition to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Last week, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington held the first direct talks in decades.
India’s Shipping Ministry said on Monday that the vessel carrying crude oil and 31 seafarers safely crossed of Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the same day two other Indian vessels had to turn back after reports of Iranian gunfire.
The vessel is expected to arrive at Mumbai on Wednesday, the ministry said. It added that 10 Indian-flagged ships have so far safely crossed the strait.
Oil prices climbed more than 5% while world shares were mixed Monday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. benchmark crude gained 5.3% to $87.88 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, was up 5.3% at $95.62 a barrel.
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Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said during a visit to Germany it is unacceptable that hunger, illiteracy and a lack of access to electricity remain unresolved for billions of people while trillions are spent on wars.
“We are experiencing a critical moment in global geopolitics, marked by great paradoxes: While astronauts fly to the moon, women and children are being killed indiscriminately in the bombings in the Middle East,” he said Sunday night at the Hannover trade fair, German news agency dpa reported.
Lula called for modern technologies to be used not for wars, but “for a more sustainable and secure world.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern Monday over the U.S. seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday.
“We hope all relevant parties will adopt a responsible attitude, abide by the ceasefire agreement, avoid escalating tensions or intensifying contradictions,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
“The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and ensure its unimpeded passage serves the common interests of countries in the region and the international community,” Guo said.
China has called for the resumption of the normal operation of the waterway.
Iran’s military offered an explanation Monday for why it didn’t fight back against U.S. Marines who raided an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees operations of Iran’s regular military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said it held back attacking the Marines because the ship’s crew had family members aboard the Touska.
“Due to the presence of some family members of the ship’s crew, they faced constraints in order to protect their lives and ensure their safety, as they were in danger at every moment,” it said.
However, Iran also has seen much of its navy and airborne assets destroyed in the war.
Khatam al-Anbiya vowed it will take “necessary action against the terrorist U.S. military” in the future, without elaborating.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday said Tehran did not have plans yet to attend any talks with the United States.
He did not rule out Iran attending talks.
Authorities in Islamabad had been making preparations for another round potentially happened there this week.
“So far, while I am here, we have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baghaei said during a news conference.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Monday.
The meeting focused on strengthening Pakistan-U.S. relations and preparations for a second round of talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad this week, Naqvi’s office said.
The statement did not specify when the talks are expected to begin.
Naqvi briefed Baker on security arrangements, saying special measures had been taken to ensure the safety of visiting delegations.
“We have made comprehensive security arrangements for our distinguished guests,” Naqvi said in the statement.
Baker offered an appreciated for Pakistan’s role in easing regional tensions and efforts to facilitate dialogue.
Pakistani authorities on Monday prepared to host a second round of talks between Iran and the United States, despite questions about whether the negotiations will take place.
Pakistan has intensified diplomatic contacts since Sunday with Washington and Tehran to ensure the talks proceed as soon as Tuesday, officials said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone late Sunday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sharif’s office said in a statement that did not mention the planned talks.
Authorities began closing key roads and stepping up security in the capital Islamabad over the weekend, particularly around a luxury hotel where the delegations are expected to meet.
Authorities deployed troops at checkpoints, closed tourist sites and instructed major hotels to limit bookings to ensure availability.
Iran on Monday offered a new death toll for the war with Israel and the United States, with its forensic chief saying at least 3,375 people had been killed in the conflict.
The figure came from Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization.
Masjedi, quoted by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency and other outlets Monday, said only four of the dead remain unidentified.
His comments did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces, instead just saying 2,875 were male and 496 were female.
Masjedi said 383 of the dead were children 18 years old and under.
Masjedi’s figures raised questions about whether or not they included security force members, particularly given the levels of intense bombings targeting military bases and arsenals in the country.
Iran said Monday it hanged two men it accused of setting fire to buildings on behalf of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad.
An Iranian exiled opposition group earlier claimed the men as members and alleged their charges stemmed from events that happened after they already had been detained.
The Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary identified the men hanged as Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi.
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq opposition group identified Shahi as Nima Shahi.
The MEK said the men had been “subjected to interrogation and torture” and convicted over an incident that happened before their detention.
This brings to eight the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.
Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.
Hezbollah said it detonated explosives Sunday afternoon in an attack against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
The group said in a statement Monday that bombs planted by Hezbollah fighters exploded and destroyed four tanks in a convoy of eight tanks that was passing the village of Deir Siryan.
It was the first claim of an attack by Hezbollah since a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Tehran says restrictions on Iranian oil come with a price
Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, says global fuel prices could stabilize only if economic and military pressures on Iranian oil exports end.
“One cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Aref wrote on X. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone.”
Women share a moment as they look at a smartphone at the main gate of the Tehran University as a banner shows portraits of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A soldier stands guard on a bridge ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheikh)
A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft prepares to land at Nur Khan airbase, ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)
Residents of northern Israel living near the Lebanese border protest the security situation, outside the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Sunday, April 19, 2026. Hebrew on a sign bearing an image of President Trump reads "Hezbollah thanks Trump." (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
An army soldier stands guard on a roadside to ensure security ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
An army soldier, left, walks as police officer drives motorcycle on an empty road ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Excavators remove rubble from buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday as rescuers search for victims in the city of Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
