The very media mayor of Marseille was released this Wednesday, invited on the set of the Greg team, the program of the evening of the L'Equipe channel. “” Proud From the season accomplished by a qualified OM for the next edition of the Champions League, Benoît Payan then addressed multiple subjects. Among which the Vélodrome stadium and its property.
Today, the enclosure of Boulevard Michelet belongs to the city of Marseille. As the Parc des Princes belongs to Paris. But unlike his counterpart Anne Hidalgo, the first councilor of the Marseille city would see the flagship of its sports facilities. A behemoth that costs its citizens dearly.
“” It is a stage that is not profitable, which costs a lot of moneyunderlines the man who has run Marseille since December 2020. It is not the best deal of the century. It can be resolved if one day a club, OM decides to buy it. And if he has money to buy it. But you need a lot of money to buy this stage, it's a hell of a bet on the future. Afterwards, we know that the major European teams are owners of their stadium … »»
A velodrome valued at 1 billion?
If resale there should be, however, Benoît Payan insists on one point: it will not be to anyone. “” If Panzani or a pension fund said to me: “I come, I buy”, I am not a seller. What I want is a serious shareholder at Olympique de Marseille. If tomorrow McCourt says: “We buy”, it is possible. But for the moment it is not on the table. It is a complex operation because there is the stadium and there is everything around. So it is an operation that is roughly a billion euros. »»
At one billion euros, not sure that Frank McCourt can be tempted. In 2013, the deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône Patrick Mennucci, then candidate in the 2014 municipal elections, considered the sale of the Vélodrome stadium essential. “” We are a poor city, which has paid a stadium but which cannot afford it in reality. This stadium is paid on the back of the Marseillais », Then was blowing the interested party on Europe 1. The sum of 300 million euros was mentioned at the time to find a buyer.
