Who is Issa Tall? What to know about the new Columbus Crew GM replacing Tim Bezbatchenko
Columbus' local soccer player turned front office mogul Tim Bezbatchenko is making the move to European soccer. And with Bezbatchenko leaving his post as Crew president and general manager, Issa Tall is being promoted from assistant general manager.
"In addition to having strong relationships with (Crew coach) Wilfried Nancy, our players and staff, Issa (Tall) is highly qualified to be our general manager," Crew owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. "While some midseason transitions present challenges, we are confident Issa’s vast experience and familiarity with our club’s personnel and long-term strategy will seamlessly allow us to continue our success in 2024 and the future."
Tall was in the running for the general manager's job with D.C. United this offseason and was reported to be one of the finalists for the position.
Joining the Crew in 2020, Tall has been a right-hand man to Bezbatchenko as an assistant GM and director of player personnel and strategy. Tall helped Bezbatchenko bring in current coach Wilfried Nancy, and Tall played an influential role in signing key players such as striker Cucho Hernandez and former Crew attacker Lucas Zelarayan.
"I’m incredibly grateful to the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families for this new role, as well as their and Tim Bezbatchenko’s significant contributions to the club’s and my growth since joining Columbus,” Tall said. “While I’m excited about this opportunity for many reasons, the vision, culture and commitment to excellence we share is at the top of the list. Everyone is dedicated to improving and being their best for our team, city and supporters."
Prior to his time in Columbus, Tall worked with Bezbatchenko in the front office of Toronto FC. Bezbatchenko was the general manger there, and he hired Tall to be a part of the player personal and scouting department in 2013.
In 2015, Tall joined FIFA and led the implementation of the new FIFA world rankings. He also scouted stadiums for multiple World Cups. His experience helped Tall as he contributed to the design of Crew's OhioHealth Performance Center and Lower.com Field.
In 2009, Tall moved to the United States from France to play collegiately at Adelphi University in Long Island, New York, where he was a team leader in points for multiple seasons as a midfielder/forward.
Tall stayed in the state of New York when he started an internship with Major League Soccer in the player competition department. It was there where he first met Bezbatchenko and the two worked on projects together.
Now, that long working relationship has paved the way to Tall taking over for Bezbatchenko with the Crew.
Get more Columbus Crew content by listening to our podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew: Meet Issa Tall, the man replacing GM Tim Bezbatchenko
