New top dog likely at AEK
AEK soccer club’s vice president Petros Stathis said yesterday that a former club president, Dimitris Melissanidis, intends to take over the club once its murky financial state clears. Stathis represents the British firm ENIC, the Athens club’s majority shareholder, which recently bought a 38 percent stake from an ex-boss, Makis Psomiadis, to boost its holding to 72 percent with the aim of financially restructuring the troubled club before selling out. During a long and wide-ranging news conference yesterday, ENIC’s Stathis said that Melissanidis, who has continued offering support to the club from his current peripheral role, was preparing to submit an offer. «He is intending to submit a proposal as soon as the financial situation has cleared up,» said Stathis. «He loves the club, possesses the ability, experience, and financial standing required. AEK is in need of an owner,» he added. Stathis also implied that he would assume the position of current team boss Yiannis Granitsas from next month, when administrative changes are expected. Yesterday, Stathis offered a mixed appraisal of Granitsas in his role as club president.
