Sleeping giant back after 22 years

22 years! In football that is more than a lifetime. But that is the time period where RAFC, the oldest Belgian football club was deprived from European football. But nothing lasts forever, luckily, for the Antwerp fans. Tonight they head to Brussels for another European night. 17000 fans take the trip to Brussels. To Brussels? Yes, the Bosuil, the Antwerp stadium is in renovation, but wasn't approved by Uefa for European games. So, the national stadium in Brussels is the venue for a historic game against Victoria Plzen from Czech Republic.

The crazy atmosphere at The Bosuil in Antwerp

Royal Antwerp FC is a real sleeping giant in Belgium and Europe. Financial mismanagement and political issues drove the club almost to bankruptcy and 15 years of second league football in Belgium. Luckily times have changed and a new bright and wealthy invester is taking on the famous stadium from its ruins to turn it into a topnotch 24000 all seater with all comfort a modern stadium needs.
And then there is the support, even though they played 15 years in the second league and the stadium was almost an archeological ruin, between 10 and 15000 people kept finding the way to The Bosuil. With an incredible atmosphere with loads of firework, which is very typical for Antwerp.

The new Bosuil as it will look like

This club back into Europe is an amazingly good thing for Belgian football as they are a new topclub in development, which is good for any league.
I wish them all the best tonight, and hopefully the times of the European Cup Final in Wembley in 1993 can come back to Antwerp!

The starting 11 at Wembley against Parma in 1993

Sincerely,

Pele23