Three bids for Belgium’s most successful football club

Now Mr Vandenhaute has teamed up with a group of businesspeople to bid for 60% of the shares in the club. There is a third bid by a group led by the former right hand man of the KV Oostende Chairman Marc Coucke, Jan Peeters. Mr Peeters is a life-long Anderlecht fan and a friend of the RSCA icon and shareholder Michel Verscheuren.

In addition to a bid the candidates have also had to outline their plans for RSC Anderlecht on the field to the club’s Director of Operations Jo Van Biesbroeck. It is up to Mr Van Biesbrouck to check on the legal aspect of the bids.

Ghelamco-boss Paul Gheysens got his children to Michael (35), Simon (34) and Marie-Julie (23) to bid. He hopes that this will increase his chances of being able to buy shares and influence the board into deciding to move RSC Anderlecht out of Anderlecht to the proposed Euro Stadium next to the Brussels Orbital Motorway in Strombeek (Flemish Brabant). Furthermore, this also enables him to retain his position as the leading figure on the Board of Royal Football Club Antwerp.

Meanwhile, a group of 10 business people led by Wouter Vandenhaute is offering 45 million euro for 60% of the shares in RSCA. The group includes the former CEO of the Belgian Post Office Johnny Thijs and Alexandre Van Damme football fan and the largest shareholder in multi-national brewer and drinks company AB InBev. Mr Van Damme already owns 15% of the shares in the club.

The third bid is a group led by the former right hand man of the KV Oostende Chairman Marc Coucke, Jan Peeters. Mr Peeters is a life-long Anderlecht fan and a friend of the RSCA icon and shareholder Michel Verscheuren.

Once the decision on which bid is to be accepted is made a complicated legal process will start to finalise the deal.