The hell of Sclessin has taken on a different meaning. Football institute Standard Liège quickly ended up in purgatory from the Belgian top. With blood-red finances, sporting sadness and an uncertain future. How could it go so wrong?
A trip down memory lane. In 2009 Standard succeeds itself as national champion after memorable test matches against Anderlecht. A swirling Sclessin celebrates heroes like Steven Defour, Axel Witsel and Dieumerci Mbokani. Liège has become the football capital of Belgium.
13 years later, the contrast couldn’t possibly be greater. The Rouches are in a desolate 14th place in the standings. Supporters openly quarrel with the club board, stars to idolize have long since disappeared.
Opinions differ about the exact tipping point. Many supporters point an accusing finger at Roland Duchâtelet, but under his rule the sporting and financial decline was still limited.
Bruno Venanzi and Roland Duchâtelet at the transfer of power.
Only after the sale to the Liège entrepreneur Bruno Venanzi in 2015 did the deterioration process accelerate considerably. Journalist and Standard expert Alain Ronsse also saw this.
“Duchâtelet had to get a lot of money from the club to make a sale to Venanzi – that is not Paul Gheysens or Bart Verhaeghe – possible. Compare it with someone who can’t afford a luxury car and then just removes the seats and the steering wheel from the predecessor.”
The Great Redeemer
Venanzi must keep the stripped car on course. Only he is a driver without any experience on the treacherous football roads. This is reflected in the transfer policy, among other things.
What do the names Mohamed Yattara, Darwin Andrade, Carlinhos and Duje Cop say to you? All expensive multi-million dollar transfers that barely yielded any returns.
And in addition to being a dovecote for players, Standard is also growing into a trainer’s graveyard. Slavo Muslin, Aleksandar Jankovic, Yannick Ferrera, Sá Pinto… The latter two still ensure a Belgian cup on the palmares, but those trophies mask a new reality.
In the summer of 2018, there is still euphoria in Liège. Michel Preud’homme is again embraced as the Great Redeemer. The club icon becomes head coach, sporting director and vice-chairman.
Only Preud’homme cannot live up to the sky-high expectations. The Rouches make it to Play-off I twice for the dug-out, but end up far from the main prize. Afterwards, MPH will remain on board for a while as a sports advisor. However, there is hardly any financial room to bring in solid acquisitions. In July 2021, both parties will quietly separate.
“That period was a failure for Preud’homme”, Ronsse looks back. “You know, Michel functions very well with a hard leadership above him. Such as with Luciano and Dominique D’Onofrio, but also under Ivan De Witte – Michel Louwagie and Bart Verhaeghe – Vincent Mannaert. At Standard, that know-how and contacts from above were not there. Michel had to take too much on his fork.”
Empty box
Meanwhile, the skyrocketing paycheck flop transfers continue to follow – Obbi Oulare (3.4 million) and Aleksandar Boljevic (2.2 million) to name just two. It results in blood-red financial statements with dramatic financial figures. The latter shows a historically high loss of 20 million euros.
Standard has to take a re-examination for the license committee, transfer bans are imposed and juggles with real estate constructions (to sky-high interest charges) to bring in money.
It also reflects on the field. Standard says goodbye to trainer Mbaye Leye in October after a 13 out of 30. His successor Luka Elsner is not doing any better and is currently in a dramatic 14th place – it is not a question of whether his C4 will come, but when.
The new buyer buys an empty box with some junk.
Only a financially strong acquirer – the North American JKC Capital is a top candidate – can stop the free fall of Standard Liège. “But the new owner will buy an empty box with some junk anyway”, Ronsse shrugs.
“You only have the youth academy, because the stadium has been sold and getting the team on track costs 50 to 60 million euros. With all due respect: newcomers such as Gilles Dewaele, Joachim Van Damme and Renaud Emond are guys to keep the team in first place.” And you don’t look up to men like Noë Dussenne and Konstantinos Laifis, do you? It’s often the 20-year-old Nicolas Raskin who has to teach others…”
Football in the Fiery City has become a small pilot light. Although Ronsse believes that it doesn’t take much to rekindle that. “Because Standard remains a selling point”, Ronsse assures.
“Success or misery: it remains one of the three top clubs that has fans throughout the country. Every home match a supporters bus comes from Rumbeke to Sclessin. They can’t say that at Antwerp, KAA Gent or Racing Genk, can they?”
Now to find someone to pull out the lighter.
