FADA! A Season in Marseille is an inside account of Olympique de Marseille, a club inseparable from the volatile and intensely proud city it represents. Across two dramatic seasons, English journalist George Boxall traces the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at a club constantly on the brink of brilliance and collapse. From dressing-room tensions and European nights to supporter unrest and political undercurrents, this is football lived at its most intense.

But Marseille is more than chaos. It has history, identity and obsession – a place where football becomes a language through which the city understands itself. Blending first-hand reporting with cultural and historical insight, this book captures the rhythms of life in Marseille and asks a deeper question: can a club fuelled by such passion ever escape its own volatility, or is that very intensity what makes it unique?

• Unique English-language insight into Olympique de Marseille and one of Europe’s most intense football cultures
• First-hand reporting from inside the club during a turbulent period under Roberto De Zerbi
• Explores the relationship between football, politics and identity in Marseille
• Captures the extremes of the OM experience, from European euphoria to supporter unrest
• Blends reportage with cultural and historical analysis to examine what makes Marseille distinct
• Appeals to readers of narrative football writing and European football culture

"FADA!" was written by George Boxall.

George Boxall is an English football journalist based in Marseille, where he covers Olympique de Marseille and the wider French game. His work has appeared in BBC Sport, The Guardian, Ligue1.com and Get French Football News. Since moving to France in 2019, he has developed a particular focus on supporter culture and the social context of football, writing extensively on clubs such as Red Star FC. He first arrived in Marseille in 2023 while following Brighton & Hove Albion in Europe, before returning to report on OM during the Roberto De Zerbi era.