NICE — OGC Nice released newly hired sporting director Grégory Lorenzi after he reneged on a signed contract to join rival Olympique de Marseille, prompting the club to consider financial and legal recourse. Lorenzi had formally committed to Nice following weeks of negotiations and a personal assurance to co-president Jean-Pierre Rivere.

Nice and Lorenzi signed a contract that included a clause permitting withdrawal only in the event the club was relegated to Ligue 2. The agreement followed a conversation in which Lorenzi told Rivere he had decided to join Nice after a family meeting during his parents’ 45-year wedding anniversary. When Rivere asked if he was certain—citing Marseille’s operations in a “different dimension”—Lorenzi replied, “You have my word. I am joining you.”

Fifteen days after signing, Lorenzi requested another meeting with Rivere and informed him he would renege on his commitment. “I’m sorry to do this president; it is the first time that this has happened, but I am going to go back on my word. I am choosing Marseille.” By then, Rivere had already read in the press that Marseille had resumed talks with Lorenzi, despite Nice’s existing contract.

Olympique de Marseille soon announced Lorenzi as its new sporting director. In response, OGC Nice decided not to retain him. Lorenzi submitted his resignation, though a notice period remains in effect. “He has resigned, but there is a notice period, and then for us, there are financial repercussions that are not negligible.”

Rivere expressed disappointment that Marseille did not contact Nice to verify the existence of a binding agreement. “The other club could have taken precautions and called us to see if we had a contract.” He added, “I honestly thought that Marseille were talking with him in the event that we were relegated to Ligue 2.” Nice had secured its Ligue 1 status with a 4-1 win over AS Saint-Étienne, eliminating any contractual basis for Lorenzi’s departure. “We will talk with OM.”