'McCourt the man we've been waiting for', says Boli

Marseille (AFP) – Frank McCourt, the future owner of French Ligue 1 giants Marseille, was described as “the man we’ve been waiting for” by the club’s sporting director Basile Boli on Sunday.

“He’s going to spark something and so much the better for us,” said the former player after meeting McCourt in Marseille on Sunday.

“We spent two and half hours together as he laid out his vision of the club,” said Boli, who at Marseille’s finest hour scored the winner as OM edged AC Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final in 1993.

“He’s a real businessman and is passionate about sport, and this counts.”

The 63-year-old Boston-born tycoon McCourt owned the baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers. 

McCourt’s purchase of the Dodgers maintained a long family tradition in baseball — his grandfather had been one of the owners of the Boston Braves.

The American entered into exclusive discussions for the acquisition of Marseille football club in late August and is expected to complete the deal within a month.