© sprimont press
Standard has lost its power. Within the Pro League, the Rouches are officially no longer part of the G5, the ‘group’ of large clubs. That means one less vote, less TV money and less prestige. Antwerp takes their place.
The G5 within the Pro League have been the same five clubs for years: Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Standard, RC Genk and AA Gent. But no club is a member of the G5 for life. That crown is determined on the basis of the results of the last five seasons. Unfortunately, Standard has performed so poorly since 2017 that it now has to hand in its symbolic membership card. The people of Liège even only finished 14th this season and are now becoming a K-club or too small club.
That has consequences. It not only affects the status of the proud Walloon club, but also its influence. Within the general meeting of the Pro League there is multiple voting rights and each G5 club has three votes. A K-club only has two. Standard therefore loses a vote when important decisions have to be made.
There are also financial consequences. The TV contract stipulates that 100 million euros must be divided among the clubs. 82 million of that is distributed based on the ranking, the other 18 million is extra for the G5 clubs because they attract more viewers. To compensate, G5 clubs have to pay higher training fees if they pluck youth players elsewhere. According to insiders, Standard would lose about 1 million euros due to this relegation.
Standard’s place at the G5 is immediately taken by Antwerp. The Great Old sees his last season in the second division disappear in the calculation and the results have been increasing since then. Antwerp is becoming a major player in Belgium, the American acquirers of Standard have a lot of work ahead of them. (jug, bla)
