December 12 – Following the failed takeover of ADA Group, Belgian second-division club KMSK Deinze has been declared bankrupt by a local court in Ghent.
The writing had been on the wall for weeks, if not months. In November, following the departure of ACA Football Partners, an investment firm from Singapore, ADA from Luxembourg, fronted by Doudou Cissé, who previously worked in the Middle East, took over the club, promising rescue from its mounting debts.
However, deadlines were not met and the club was slapped with points deductions as well as a transfer ban. Creditors moved to sue the club and on Wednesday, and a Belgian court declared the club bankrupt.
“The information and documents provided by the claimant show that Deinze has permanently ceased to pay and that its credit has been damaged,” read a press release.
In the last few weeks, a swath of key players have departed the club, including Tuur Dierckx. He told local media: “It’s crazy that it’s still possible in Belgium in 2024, to pull the plug on a project in the middle of a season. That certain people have so much power, without providing any evidence.”
“The Singaporeans in the first place, but also the people who took their place. It’s criminal that they can just take over a club without proof that they are capable enough to do so. A lot of people have been affected by this. For me, it has a big impact, but there are also people with a family who are left out in the cold…”
The second division will now be reduced to 15 clubs and points gained by clubs against Deinze will be scrapped. The match between KAS Eupen and KMK Deinze has been cancelled. At the end of the season only one club will be relegated to the third division, the amateur level.
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