Briatore Confirms QPR Interest...But Denies QPR Deal

-
REUTERS - UPDATE 2-Soccer-Briatore confirms interest in taking over QPR Fri Aug 24, - By Alan Baldwin
ISTANBUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Renault Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore confirmed on Friday that he was part of a group interested in taking over second division English soccer club Queens Park Rangers.
However, the flamboyant Italian said he was only one of those involved in the talks. No offer had been made and nothing signed.
"We are talking. we are a bunch of friends together," he told reporters at the Turkish Grand Prix while declining to name any of his associates. "If it happens I am very happy, if not I am very happy as well."
The West London club, who have debts of 17 million pounds ($34 million) and need considerable new investment, said in an earlier statement that they were in talks with various parties that could lead to a takeover bid.
"The board of QPR announces that it is engaged in discussions with a number of parties that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the entire issued share capital of the company," it said.
Briatore, a multi-millionaire and close associate of billionaire Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, said he had never been to QPR's Loftus Road ground.
The history behind it (the club) is great. And I pass the stadium every time I go to Oxford by helicopter and so I become friendly with the stadium," he said.
Briatore added that if his group were successful, Formula One would remain his priority. Renault have been champions for the past two seasons.
"The idea is like any other," said Briatore, whose other business interests include nightclubs and exclusive Billionaire fashion shops. "I opened the Cipriani (restaurant) in London but I am not in the kitchen to cook. I have the people managing it.
"Formula One is my priority 100 percent, anything else we are doing in a professional way but as a group of friends. Nothing dramatic."
Briatore, a lifelong supporter of Italian club Juventus, said he had met QPR chairman Gianni Paladini only once: "After that it was the normal talking with my people and the people from the board." (Additional reporting by Jonathan Cable) Reuters


SPORTING LIFE - BRIATORE CONFIRMS QPR INTEREST
By Ian Parkes, PA Sport, Istanbul
Multi-millionaire Flavio Briatore has confirmed he is interested buying Queens Park Rangers but warned he would not "go crazy" to complete the sale.
Briatore, team boss of Formula One marque Renault, is involved with "a bunch of friends" in looking to acquire the Coca-Cola Championship club.
However, the Italian has conceded the consortium is one of several parties looking to take over the troubled Loftus Road outfit.
"We started talking by chance, but there are a lot of people in England talking with QPR at the moment," said Briatore ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.
"We have not put in any offer. Absolutely nothing formal has been done, but the lawyers are working.
"We know where we are and what we want to do. If it happens then I will be very happy, but we are not going to go crazy to have this club."
Briatore concedes the closest he has come to the ground is when he has flown over it in his helicopter en route to Renault's base in Oxfordshire.
However, he has met current QPR chairman and fellow Italian Gianni Paladini, albeit a chance encounter.
Should Briatore and his group gain control of the club, he insists his involvement will be strictly behind the scenes.
"My business is in Formula One," confirmed Briatore.
"It is 100%. The focus for me is next year because we need to be competitive again.
"It's like Cipriani (a restaurant he owns in Mayfair). I don't go in the kitchen to cook the food.
"I occasionally go there to eat, and with QPR I will occasionally go to a match. Nothing more."
Briatore has confirmed the present management, with John Gregory in charge, would remain unchanged if his takeover succeeds, adding: "Everything is perfect."
Briatore declined to comment on his plans for QPR, although he remarked: "It is like with anything I am involved with - I want to be successful."
Briatore masterminded Renault's rise to dominance in Formula One, with the team winning the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2005 and 2006.
The 57-year-old also created and runs fashion brand 'Billionaire', while he owns pharmaceutical company Pierrel. Sporting Life

BBC - Briatore cools QPR takeover talk
Flavio Briatore has played down reports linking him with an imminent takeover of QPR, saying he has not made a bid.
The Renault Formula One team boss heads a group talking over an offer to take control of the Championship club.
It comes after QPR's board resigned on Monday, ahead of an assumed bid for parent company QPR Holdings Limited.
However, the Italian said: "We started talking by chance, but there are a lot of people in England talking with QPR now. We have not put in any offer."
A statement on QPR's website had earlier read: "The board announces it is in discussions with a number of parties which may or may not lead to an offer."
Major shareholder Antonio Caliendo and his backers have agreed to sell their stake in the club - but Briatore insists he will not be held to ransom.
"Absolutely nothing formal has been done, but the lawyers are working," he said.
"We know where we are and what we want to do. If it happens then I will be very happy, but we are not going to go crazy to have this club." BBC