Will Deinze play his last match on Friday? Club is feverishly looking for a buyer to avoid bankruptcy (Deinze)

Will KMSK Deinze play its last competition match in the Challenger Pro League on the field of Patro Eisden Maasmechelen on Friday? The East Flemish club is in dirty papers and is heading for bankruptcy.

KMSK Deinze was sold by chairman Denijs Van De Weghe at the beginning of 2022 to ACA Football Partners, which is part of a large Asian holding company. The new owners had big plans for KMSK Deinze and wanted to promote to the Jupiler Pro League in three years. However, last week ACA Football Partners announced that it was completely turning off the money tap.

The players and coaching staff have heard that they will definitely play football on Friday. They normally receive their wages in the course of the following week, so they cannot make a forfeit payment. They contacted the players’ union Sporta to defend their rights, but as employees they must continue to fulfill their duties for the time being.

There are currently three possible scenarios on the table. Firstly, the club hopes that a new investor will be found. He can buy the club for a symbolic price of one euro, but he must also take over the debts. This currently amounts to 2 million euros. In addition, an additional 4 million euros is needed to continue the day-to-day operations of the club. This is the best solution for all parties. Ex-chairman Denijs Van De Weghe has already announced that he is not interested in taking over the club.

A second possibility is that KMSK Deinze is declared bankrupt and the affairs are taken care of by a curator. In this case, the players may be free after just one week and can look for another employer. Finally, it is possible that bankruptcy has not yet been declared. In this case, the players must send a registered letter to the club three times. In this situation, they are also given their freedom if they are not paid for two months. KMSK Deinze will receive a new inspection from the Licensing Commission on October 20. There is a risk of a points deduction if not all documents are in order. To be continued, no doubt.