Olympique de Marseille ended their Ligue 1 season with a 3-1 victory against Rennes on Sunday, securing qualification for next season’s Europa League. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League, Habib Beye insisted that European football remains essential for Marseille.
It will not be the Champions League for OM. In a season filled with turbulence, Marseille ultimately secured the minimum objective. Thanks to their success against Rennes on the final matchday, the club finished fifth in Ligue 1 and will compete in the Europa League next season.
Habib Beye Defends Marseille’s European Qualification
After the match, Habib Beye refused to downplay the importance of qualifying for Europe despite failing to reach the Champions League. The Marseille coach believes the final standings reflect his team’s overall season. “We had to win tonight and the most important thing is there. I never live in the past and the result after 34 matchdays is what we deserve. We are two points away from the Champions League, we dropped points, but I do not live with regrets,” Beye said.
“We must not underestimate the Europa League,” the Marseille manager added after the victory. “European competition is part of this club’s DNA. We finished two points away from the Champions League, that is the reality of this season.” Beye also reminded everyone that the mission given to him was to qualify the club for European football. “The goal was to qualify for Europe. For the Champions League, yes, but tonight we qualified for the Europa League and we must be proud to play in this competition,” he explained, while insisting that his own future was “not important.”
Asked about his future afterward, the French coach preferred to avoid the topic. With Medhi Benatia officially leaving his role as director of football, Beye reiterated that “the important thing tonight is European qualification” above everything else.
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