The Mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, has strongly advised Olympique de Marseille against signing former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood. This comes in light of dropped domestic violence and sexual assault charges against Greenwood. Payan expressed his disapproval of the potential move, citing Greenwood's alleged behavior towards his partner as 'unspeakable' and 'unacceptable.'
Payan emphasized that violence against women goes against the values of Marseille and Olympique de Marseille, stating that Greenwood's actions are a disgrace and should not be tolerated.
In February, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service announced the dropping of charges against Greenwood, citing a lack of realistic prospect of conviction due to key witnesses withdrawing from the investigation and new evidence surfacing.
Greenwood has denied the allegations in the past and acknowledged making mistakes in his relationship. Reports suggest that Manchester United and Marseille have agreed on a €30 million deal for Greenwood's transfer, though official confirmation is pending.
Manchester United declined to comment on the matter, stating that they will confirm the transfer once completed. Greenwood has not played for Manchester United since his arrest in January 2022 and was loaned to Getafe for the 2023/24 season.
Following the charges against Greenwood, Manchester United conducted an investigation and decided to part ways with the player due to difficulties in his career resumption at the club.
Fans of Olympique de Marseille have expressed their opposition to Greenwood joining the club, citing concerns about the handling of allegations of sexist and sexual violence. They believe that solely relying on the absence of a conviction in court to welcome Greenwood would be a mistake.
