Alderweireld-led consortium averts crisis at Antwerp FC

A consortium led by former Ajax defender Toby Alderweireld and entrepreneur Wouter Vandenhaute is set to acquire Antwerp FC, ending months of financial uncertainty and securing the future of the Belgische club for the time being in the top tier of Belgian football.

The group, described as the former Ajacied Alderweireld’s consortium, takes over The Great Old from Paul Gheysens, who previously owned the club.

Gheysens had been required to repay a loan of up to ten million euros to a leveraged fund, a private investment vehicle. Failure to meet that obligation would have allowed the fund to acquire a share of the club.

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Als Gheysens niet aan die verplichting kon voldoen, zou het fonds een deel van de club overnemen.

The new ownership structure also includes dozens of entrepreneurs and the Belgian bank KBC, expanding the financial backing beyond the two public figures.

Wouter Vandenhaute, former chairman of Anderlecht, becomes the main shareholder. ‘We want to thank the Antwerp entrepreneurs. Their love for the club has deeply moved us,’ said Vandenhaute and Alderweireld.

Jacques Vandermeiren, not Vandenhaute, will serve as the new chairman of Antwerp. He is the former CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the largest European port after Rotterdam.