Deschamps a 'natural choice' to coach Marseille

PARIS: Former France captain Didier Deschamps will take over as coach of Olympique Marseille next season, the Ligue 1 title contenders said on Tuesday.

Captain of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning France teams, Deschamps will replace Belgian Eric Gerets, who had announced he was stepping down at the end of the season.

"The choice of Didier Deschamps, whose playing and coaching career speaks for itself, was a natural one," Marseille said on their website (www.om.net).