Boudjellal dumps rugby for soccer
NEWS: The former President of Toulon rugby club, Mourad Boudjellal, has switched from the oval ball to a round one as he became the majority shareholder of French fourth-tier football club Hyeres on Tuesday.
“It’s fun for me to switch to football,” Boudjellal told AFP.
He said his first move would be to install former France striker Nicolas Anelka as sporting director, adding that there would be investment in the club.
“We will increase the means of the club, but we must not panic.
“We are not going to work miracles. My ambition is to help the amateur world.”
Last summer, Boudjellal was touted as a possible new president of Marseille when the Franco-Tunisian businessman Mohamed Ajroudi was floating the idea of buying the club from its American owner Frank McCourt.
As owner of Toulon, Boudjellal was responsible for recruiting England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson, Australian centre Matt Giteau and a host of other international stars.
Under his watch, Toulon won the Heineken/European Champions Cup three times and the French Top 14 once.
