Marseille fans´ appeal for Drogba return hits 2m euros

A Marseille fans' appeal trying to raise enough money to lure back former star Didier Drogba tipped the two million euro mark on Wednesday, according to the website handling donations.

The website www.didier-revient.com, set up to coordinate the pledges which cannot exceed 200 euros, had gathered 2,138,391 euros (as of Wednesday), with 29,467 supporters parting with their money.

The affair, nicknamed “Drogbathon”, brought a wry smile to the French club's president Pape Diouf, after it emerged the website had crashed on Sunday after encountering traffic problems.

“I'm surprised and amused. It shows the true passion of our supporters,” he told the newspaper La Provence.

Diouf then gave the fans a dose of reality, saying that if they reached the projected target there would still be the small – or perhaps big – matter of the Ivory Coast international's weekly wage.

“I know what Drogba earns at Chelsea!” he joked.

Drogba has recently been linked to a host of top European sides such as Barcelona and both Milan clubs, even though new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari insists the striker is part of his future plans.

The 30-year-old scored 18 goals in 35 appearances during the explosive 2003-04 season with Marseille to earn legendary status, before leaving for Stamford Bridge the following season.