Yahoo Sports Mason Greenwood questions joining Marseille after mayor’s intervention
Olympique de Marseille’s attempts to convince Mason Greenwood (22) to join the club have hit a stumbling block due to a last-minute intervention from the city’s mayor and an online campaign from the fan base.
Yesterday evening it was reported by The Athletic that Marseille had reached an agreement with Manchester United for Greenwood, with the French side set to spend €31.6 million (including add-ons) on a player whose contract will expire next summer.
However, the mayor of the city, Benoît Payan, told RMC Sport that “Greenwood’s behaviour is unspeakable, unacceptable. Hitting his wife… I saw images that deeply shocked me. Massacring his wife in this way is unbecoming of a man and he cannot have his place on this team.” It was a sentiment that was also seen online with Marseille fans posting on X (formerly Twitter) under the hashtag #GreenwoodNotWelcome.
Payan was referring to the video, photographs, and audio recordings that were widely shared across social media in January 2022 by an alleged victim who accused the player of a number of assaults. Greenwood was arrested that month and then later charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
These charges were eventually dropped in 2023 after the Crown Prosecution Service revealed that “there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” after key witnesses withdrew their cooperation and new evidence came to light. The player has denied all allegations.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, this intervention from the fans and the mayor have made Greenwood question joining the side. The club have reportedly been in conversation with the player’s father as they attempt to convince him to join the team, but he is thought to be “intimidated” by the reaction. This has created a situation which Lazio hope to capitalise on after they had a previous bid rejected for the striker.
