Agence France Presse — English
January 26, 2007 Friday 6:38 PM GMT

Football: Kachkar plan given thumbs up at Marseille

MARSEILLE, France, Jan 26 2007

Marseille have given the thumbs up to the financial package proposed
by Canadian businessman Jack Kachkar following a two-hour meeting,
the French first division side said on Friday.

Kachkar, who is reported to be injecting 115 million euros into the
club to become the new owner, said in another statement that he was
"very happy" the plan had received the board’s backing.

The meeting comprised 17 people including Marseille’s managing
director Thierry de La Brosse and president Pape Diouf was present
part of the time.

The 43-year-old Kachkar, president of pharmaceutical firm Inyx which
employs more than 575 people in North America and Europe, hopes to
make the most of Marseille’s commercial potential by getting
international sponsors and boosting their profile in certain markets.

Kachkar is of Armenian Catholtic origin yet born in Syria and raised
briefly in Lebanon.

He expressed himself in English and his comments were interpreted by
one of the lawyers of London legal firm Allen and Overy.

Kachkar was also accompanied by two of his advisors, Serge Delwasse,
to examine the accounts and commercial organisation, and Harald Sven,
whose role was more on the sporting side.

Kachkar also met the eight Marseille fan clubs in an amicable
atmosphere, according to Michel Tonini, vice-president of one of the
groups.

"We can feel the sincerity in his words," Tonini said of Kachkar. "He
is here to invest and said he might even be active in the winter
transfer market to help achieve our aim of qualifying for the
Champions League."

Kachkar told AFP by telephone after the meeting that he had also met
Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin, saying he was an "important
partner of the club."

Kachkar also made it clear that his discussions with Robert
Louis-Dreyfus, the club’s former president and majority shareholder,
were not about Belgian first division club Standard Liege in which
RLD has also invested.

"My efforts are focused on the buying of Marseille," said Kachkar who
added that apart from legal firm Allen and Overy, he was also working
with consultants Deloitte and Paris agency Image Sept on the
communication side.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress