FADA!

An inside account of Olympique de Marseille, where football, culture and conflict collide.

In Marseille, fada means mad, crazy or obsessed – a fitting description of the city’s relationship with Olympique de Marseille.

FADA! A Season in Marseille is a portrait of France’s most intense football city through one extraordinary season.

A few months after Roberto De Zerbi left Brighton for Marseille in the summer of 2024, English journalist George Boxall followed him to the city. Over the next 18 months, he plunged headfirst into a club constantly on the brink of brilliance and collapse.

From grandiose European nights to supporter unrest and political tensions, Boxall follows OM at close range while placing the club within the wider story of Marseille – a port city shaped by migration, working-class culture, rebellion and a long suspicion of central power.

Blending first-hand reporting, interviews and history with his own experience of living in Marseille, FADA! explores the mystique of OM, the loyalties it inspires and the contradictions and difficult questions that come with such devotion.

• Inside the Roberto De Zerbi era at Olympique de Marseille • First-hand reporting from one of Europe’s most intense football clubs • Insight into ultras culture and supporter identity • A wider exploration of football, politics and life in Marseille

For readers interested in European football culture, this is a close-up view of a club and a city that cannot be separated.

© 2026 Pitch Publishing (E-book): 9781836805373

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E-book: 30 November 2026