Police report filed after Mason Greenwood to Marseille transfer questioned by staff member in alleged boardroom spat

La Provence reports that a senior executive at Stade Velodrome filed the police report in question following an internal dispute that occurred during the summer of 2024. Tensions are said to have escalated between Benatia and Cecilia Barontini.

At the time, Barontini was charged with the task - by club president Pablo Longoria - of overseeing administrative matters alongside Alban Juster. Issues are said to have been taken with a number of decisions that were made at the time.

One of those related to the acquisition of one-cap England international Greenwood. Having seen him impress during a loan spell at Getafe in 2023-24, Marseille presented Premier League outfit Manchester United with a permanent transfer offer.

A deal was ultimately done at £27 million ($36m). Greenwood was allowed to leave Old Trafford after seeing all charges against him in a case relating to allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour dropped in February 2023.

According to La Provence, Barontini “opposed” the signing of Greenwood. She is also reported to have objected to an approach for Algeria international defender Youcef Atal having previously seen him receive an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine from a Nice court after sharing an antisemitic video in the wake of the Gaza Strip attacks that took place on October 7, 2023.

Barontini is also said to have raised concerns regarding the conduct of Ali Zarrak, who had become a prominent figure in Marseille’s sporting structure alongside Benatia. Those alleged disagreements came to a head over several weeks.

La Provence claims that the internal dispute “culminated in a heated confrontation in Longoria’s office at La Commanderie”. Barontini is said to have subsequently filed an incident report that was recorded by local police.

Marseille president Longoria has revealed that he sought the advice of his mother before committing to a 2024 deal for Greenwood. He told The Telegraph: “For me, it’s correct to speak openly about it. Creating taboos in life is never positive. For us it was a massive market opportunity from a sporting perspective where we analysed, very carefully, what really happened.

“In that case, having done due diligence and having all the information – and this is the first time I speak about this – with all the information I called my mother. And I said ‘what do you think, knowing all the situation?’ And my mother, who used to work in the prison system in Spain, having a very innovative prison system model in Spain – she was recognised with the medal of the state – so I ask her, having all this information, ‘what would you do in my position?’ And she said to me ‘do it’. With all the information.

“It was important because I wanted someone who doesn’t have the incentive of the sport, because the talent is there, that her only incentive is the good of her son. As a man, not as a president. And, for me, it was very important that she said to me, knowing all of this, ‘do it’.”

Longoria went on to say: “I know that there is criticism. I know that the situation, it’s so many times, potentially reputational [damage]. But, I repeat, if you think that you are taking the right decision, with the right level of information, and from a human perspective as well, because Mason, he’s a good kid, seriously. From that time, I sleep at night.”

Greenwood has become a Golden Boot winner in Ligue 1, while posting a personal best return of 25 goals and counting this season. He is generating more transfer talk in 2026 and may yet switch international allegiance from England to Jamaica, which could allow him to grace this summer’s World Cup - if the Reggae Boyz make it through an inter-confederation play-off.