Firstly because Flemish football is no longer doing as well as before, with even a possible bankruptcy of Deinze. A survey by our colleagues from The Newspaper revealed that no club from D1 VV, the last amateur level before professionalism, was tempted to move up to the Challenger Pro League. Some have already said no and others do not have the means in terms of finances or infrastructure.
On the other hand, in D1 ACFF, it is the opposite: ambitious projects are multiplying. The most advanced is that of RAEC Mons. Because the team is strong, the leaders are making the necessary efforts and the stadium is already there. The Tondreau should even develop further soon with a project for a new stand which would house student accommodation. All for a capacity of more than 10,000 seats.
Mons and the RAAL aim very quickly for the Pro League
In Mons, we are playing with our heads at the third level but we already have our minds in the Pro League. The club would like to stay only two years in the second level before returning to the elite, leaving in 2014. In a slightly longer term, two other clubs want to find/discover professionalism: Excelsior Virton and Union Rochefortoise.
Virton was looking for himself when Ngolo Kanté bought the club in the summer of 2023 but the project now seems to be on the right track. The Gaumais even hope to improve again this season. Or the next one. The stadium is up to standard for D2. It remains to be seen whether it will be possible to go higher. This will require a greater investment from the world champion owner.
But what is N’Golo Kanté doing at Virton in D3? “He gives a toy to his neighborhood friends”
In Rochefort, we don’t yet have the stadium but we already have the location (the site of the old Marche-en-Famenne karting, 13 kilometers away). With the wealthy Lhoist family at the helm, the ambition is serious. The idea is to follow in the footsteps of the RAAL, which will enter its new enclosure at the start of next season. Perhaps among the elite given his excellent performance in the Challenger Pro League so far.
A pleasing result with a downside all the same: the last three (excluding U23 teams) in D2 for the moment are Walloon clubs. The tower of Belgian football has not yet finished tilting.
