A tweet designed to sting
The rivalry between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain knows no off-season, no boundaries, no limits. As PSG prepare to face Flamengo in Wednesday's Intercontinental Cup final in Doha, their bitter domestic enemies have picked a side. And it isn't France.
Late on Saturday evening, around 11pm local time, Marseille's official Portuguese-language X account posted a message that left nothing to interpretation: "Congratulations on another title, Flamengo! And obviously, we'll be cheering for you in the Intercontinental Cup final."
The winking emoji at the end said everything. Subtle? Not remotely. Deliberate? Absolutely.
A wound that never healed
Marseille's public backing of Flamengo runs deeper than petty point-scoring. It traces back to one of the most painful episodes in the club's history.
In 1993, OM conquered Europe by defeating AC Milan in the Champions League final. But the VA-OM affair, a match-fixing scandal that would shake French football to its core, prevented Didier Deschamps and his teammates from competing in that year's Intercontinental Cup against São Paulo. FIFA handed the spot to Milan instead.
Marseille never got to be the first French club to contest the competition. That wound, 32 years old, still festers. The prospect of PSG becoming "forever the first" to lift the trophy is unbearable for the Phocéens faithful.
PSG chasing an unprecedented sextuple
In Paris, the focus remains firmly on the sporting prize at stake. And what a prize it is.
Luis Enrique's men have the chance to write one of the greatest chapters in French football history. Having already lifted the Trophée des Champions, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Champions League and UEFA Super Cup in 2025, PSG can complete a sextuple that not even Guardiola's Barcelona achieved.
The final takes place on Wednesday, December 17 at 6pm local time at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, on the home turf of the club's owners. Around 1,000 Parisian supporters are expected in the stands.
Flamengo mean business
Marseille's faith in Flamengo isn't simply born of anti-Parisian spite. The Brazilian giants present a genuine threat.
Champions of Brazil and winners of the 2025 Copa Libertadores, the Mengão arrive in Doha brimming with confidence. After dispatching Cruz Azul (2-1) and Pyramids FC (2-0), Filipe Luís' side have demonstrated their pedigree in knockout football.
"PSG would have preferred to play Pyramids rather than us," declared Uruguayan full-back Guillermo Varela after Saturday's qualification. "But this is the best possible final: the two best teams, one from Europe and one from South America."
Coach Filipe Luís struck a more measured tone: "I'm certain many teams have found ways to neutralize PSG. But I'm equally certain we'll have to learn how to suffer. They have immense technical quality, and we'll spend time chasing the ball."
A historic first
Wednesday's showdown will be the fifth meeting between PSG and Flamengo, but the first that truly matters. The previous four were friendlies, including an indoor tournament at Bercy in 1985.
The historical record slightly favors the Brazilians: two wins, one defeat, one draw. But such statistics mean nothing when silverware is on the line.
As for Marseille's message of support, it will change nothing on the pitch. But it serves as a reminder of an immutable truth in French football: between Paris and Marseille, the war never ends. Even when the enemy wears the red and black of Rio de Janeiro.
