Local capital takes control as Royal Antwerp reset ownership model
A consortium of local investors including Toby Alderweireld and Wouter Vandenhaute has completed a takeover of Royal Antwerp, replacing Paul Gheysens with a broader ownership structure focused on financial stability.
A consortium of Antwerp-based investors has completed its takeover of Royal Antwerp, ending Paul Gheysens’ nine-year ownership and shifting the Belgian club towards a locally backed governance model.The group includes former player Toby Alderweireld, entrepreneur Wouter Vandenhaute and Jacques Vandermeiren, the former chief executive of the Port of Antwerp. Vandermeiren will become chairman, while current chief executive Sven Jaecques will remain in his role.The consortium said: “Royal Antwerp deserve local shareholders who want to develop the club over the long term. The Antwerp entrepreneurs, Toby Alderweireld and Wouter Vandenhaute, share the ambition to develop their club in a healthy and sustainable way, both sporting and financially, with respect for its rich history and the unique bond with its supporters, the city of Antwerp and the entire community.”Alderweireld has reportedly invested around €2m in the acquisition, while the wider ownership group is understood to include approximately 30 companies and business figures from the region.The structure is designed to reduce Royal Antwerp’s reliance on a single controlling shareholder and distribute financial responsibility across a broader group of investors.Vandenhaute and Alderweireld said: “These past months have confirmed that it is possible to form a strong team through trust, respect and a shared ambition. That gives us a great deal of hope for what can be developed here in the years ahead.”KBC is expected to play a significant role in the club’s new financial and commercial structure, including support connected to stadium-related obligations. The bank is also set to become a long-term main sponsor.The transaction addresses uncertainty surrounding Royal Antwerp following financial pressure within Gheysens’ wider business interests and liabilities linked to the redevelopment of the Bosuilstadion.Gheysens acquired the club in 2017, the year Royal Antwerp returned to Belgium’s top division. His investment supported a period that included the league and cup double in 2022/23, another Belgian Cup in 2020 and the Belgian Super Cup.The new investors have prioritised sustainable sporting and financial development rather than maintaining an ownership model dependent on continued funding from one individual.Vandenhaute will not take the chairman’s position he previously held at Anderlecht, leaving Vandermeiren to lead the board while Jaecques provides continuity across the club’s executive operations.The completion of the deal gives Royal Antwerp a locally anchored ownership base as the consortium begins work on reducing debt exposure and establishing a longer-term operating plan.