Sunderland to play Olympique Marseille in commemorative friendly

The Black Cats will take on Olympique Marseille, the club of which Louis-Dreyfus’ father, Robert, was majority shareholder between 1996 and 2009.

The game, which will take place on Saturday, August 3 (3pm) and will be held at Bradford City’s Valley Parade because of the unavailability of the Stadium of Light, will mark the 15-year passing of the father of Sunderland’s chairman.

Ahead of the game, both clubs will come together to celebrate the life of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who re-established Marseille as a major force and guided the club to a UEFA Cup final and two domestic finals.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said: “My earliest childhood memories are of Olympique Marseille and my love for football was born from my father’s association with the club.

“Like Sunderland, Marseille is a city that lives and breathes football 24/7 and it will be a privilege to bring the two clubs closest to my heart together to celebrate the life of my father.

“It is unfortunate that we can’t play at the Stadium of Light due to our ongoing developments and we appreciate Bradford City’s support in hosting the game, which I’m sure will also act as the strong test for our team ahead of the new season.”

Kristjaan Speakman added: “Although we are without a home venue until the start of the season due to our ongoing investment at the Stadium of Light, we wanted to play as close to the North East as possible to ensure our fans can support the team in our final pre-season fixture.

“We thank Ryan Sparks and the wider team at BCFC for hosting us and look forward to facing a high calibre of opposition in OM, who will provide the perfect challenge for our team heading into the new campaign, as we celebrate the life of Kyril’s father and the unique connection our two Clubs now share.”

Sunderland say ticket information for the Marseille game will be confirmed in due course.