Wednesday, 11th September, 2013
Standard Liege will need to make at least a Champions League place this season if they are to avoid fears of bankruptcy, according to the president of its fan-clubs association.
Louis Smal, who heads Famille des Rouches – the umbrella group overseeing Standard's fan clubs – has for long been protesting against supposed plans to resell the club.
Standard fans have not been huge supporters of club owner Roland Duchatelet, whose tenure has seen a marked rise in expenses and losses.
However, the 10-time Belgian league winners are on a 12-match winning streak – at both home and in Europe – since the start of the season.
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However, Smal has warned of a storm to come unless they get back to the league-winning ways they enjoyed until 2008/09.
"If we do not qualify for the Champions League, the club will be on the verge of bankruptcy", he told Sudinfo. "This is my fear.
"Although Duchatelet is the boss, I do not share his politics. Where Anderlecht have reduced their payroll by 30%, that of Standard has exploded.
"This was even after Duchatelet had said on 21st May that it should decrease.
"[Former Standard player Axel] Witsel used to earn €650,000 per year. Today, six or seven players are on €1.2m per year, while the operating loss at June 30, was about €10m.
"With such treatment, no one will buy the club. This club cannot become like Beerschot [who went bankrupt earlier this year]."
Standard could only finish fourth last season and had to enter Europe via the Europa League's second qualifying round.
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