According to Belgian media, Club Brugge is for sale. The shareholders are ready to sell the club in whole or in part. Club Brugge informed investors from Belgium and abroad about this.
Surprise in Belgium: Club Brugge is for sale
Club Brugge is mostly owned by Bart Verhaegh, CEO Vincent Mannaert, Jan Boone (CEO of Lotus Bakery) and Peter Vanhecke (CEO of investment company Castel Capitel), who together own 71.89 percent of the shares. American Orkila Capital owns 23.26 percent of the shares. The company got it a few months after Club Brugge wanted to go public in Belgium but pulled out due to insufficient interest. Verhaeghe (58) became the president in 2011 and the owner a year later. After that, Club Brugge won five national championships, won the Belgian Cup once. And reached the knockout stages of the Champions League this season.
Club Brugge is involved in a difficult stadium project. The costs of which seem to be increasing all the time. But why the club is being sold is also not entirely clear to the Belgian media. The team released a statement: “The world of football is changing rapidly. We have been planning the future in the Club for years. We are considering all the options that will help us maintain the market leader in Belgium and secure the future of the club. This goal is reinforced by the changes made to the European tournaments and the planning of the construction of our new stadium.
Club Brugge say they want to explore all options to improve their position
“The club is interested because there is a lot of interest. In European football in terms of clubs, leagues and media rights. Planning for the future is a key element of effective management, and that is what we are doing. We are strategically assessing the potential of the top of the market with the Raine Group. There is nothing concrete at the moment,” they added.
In a statement, Club Brugge said it wanted to explore all options to improve its position in the market, but in a statement from the main banker Raine Group, which must ensure the sale goes smoothly, it said the owners were “away for a new challenge”.
