Coucke promises: "There will be a new stadium"

INTERVIEWS Marc Coucke continues to dream of a new Anderlecht stadium. In fact, "I tell you already: there will be a new stadium", he promises. According to Coucke, this is necessary for the club to grow financially. He does not want to make any statements about a possible location.


That Anderlecht saw Chancel Mbemba go to Porto, gave Coucke something to think about. "The gross national product of Portugal is lower than the one of Belgium, but the budgets of their top clubs are the multiple of ours, how do you explain that?", Coucke asks. He knows the answer: Their big stadiums. Portugal benefited from Euro 2004 to build new, modern stadiums. This did not happen in Belgium after Euro 2000. "Such a stadium doubles your budget," Coucke knows.

And so Coucke wants to get started. Only problem: where can the new stadium come? "Everyone wants them, but not their neighborhood." I often spoke to Brussels politicians and heard a lot of goodwill, but always 'yes, but ...' Give me a location and I build a stadium for 40,000 to 45,000 spectators. We are ready, I do not ask for financial government support. "

In a Pano reportage a few months ago Coucke called Neerpede as possible location for a new football temple. Now he does not make any statements about where the stadium can come. "Because if I push a place forward today, a protest committee will be set up tomorrow."