–
Friday, January 24, 2020 at 8:18
–
The possible arrival of the BeNeLiga is another step closer. The major clubs in the Netherlands and Belgium came to an agreement in main points on Thursday at a meeting in Eindhoven. The six largest clubs from the Netherlands (Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ, Vitesse and FC Utrecht) and five from Belgium (Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Standard Luik, KAA Gent and KRC Genk) were present at the meeting. In a joint press release they reported that there are similarities on the most important points.
Valentijn Driessen assures that the conversations about the BeNeLiga can be regarded as the ritual of pulling a dead hobby horse: the hobby horse of Club Brugge chairman Bart Verhaeghe. The football chef of The Telegraph states that Verhaeghe is the driving force behind the investigations to start this cross-border competition from 2024, or a year later. “If everyone speaks with one mouth, it comes across better and increases the chances of life for their brainchildren,” says Driessen in his column in the Friday edition.
After extensive research, consultancy firm Deloitte issued a positive opinion on the merger of the Dutch and Belgian competitions. According to Deloitte, there are significantly greater financial and sporting opportunities, which also trickle down to the national divisions that have to continue without top clubs. Driessen cannot do much with the prognosis that participating clubs can count on an additional financial injection of 250 million to 400 million euros. “There is so much financial room (150 million euros) between the forecast that you can go anywhere with it. In addition, the research firm does not dare to conduct an extensive broad supporter survey for fear that the initiative will be shot off in advance by the fans. Yet the most important stakeholder of professional football. “
The plans assume a competition with ten Dutch and eight Belgian clubs. A promotion / relegation scheme will be introduced to the domestic competitions. Driessen is pleased that, for the time being, only the feasibility of such a competition has been tested to the extreme. “Fortunately without the consequence to start or participate in such a competition. For example, it is a public secret that Ajax and Standard Luik are not waiting for the BeNeLiga at all. “
Driessen points out that the enthusiasm in Belgium about the merger competition is greater than in the Netherlands where the sporting and financial necessity is felt less. “On behalf of Ajax, Edwin van der Sar also has serious doubts about the merger competition and does not think that Ajax would do well to participate in this. The team from Amsterdam would like to keep their hands free to possibly jump on the train from 2024 onwards from a much larger, richer cross-border competition with the top clubs from the five major football countries. And the Ajax fan is waiting for the Eupen-Ajax poster on Sunday evening half past eight. No, rather Emmen-Ajax. “
With the BeNeLiga, the Dutch and Belgian clubs want to compete with the five top European competitions (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France). The clubs will work out the plans together with the KNVB, KBVB and Eredivisie CV football associations. In addition, there will be a study among supporters to test Deloitte’s findings.
<! –->
–