In the pretty little center of the Liège city, there is no sadness. Just a few discussions at the counter of the few open bars. AS Eupen will go down to the Challenger Pro League amid general indifference. For many, this will only remain a trip too far away which had lost its exoticism made in the Bundesliga over the eight seasons in the elite. But even in Eupen, the future relegation is not experienced as a tragedy.
Friday during the defeat against Charleroi at Kehrweg, in what looked like a last chance match, the city did not mobilize to fill the stands where there was always more wind than support. And when Bialek reduced the score late in the game, there was not even a rebellion. Neither in the stands, nor on the pitch. The team did not put pressure on them, goalkeeper Slonina did not appear in the final set-pieces. As if there was already no more life.
Nobody was there to create a soul in this club without pressure.
It must be said that the club has not done much to create a winning spirit. In the Pro League, Eupen is the faceless club. No one in management embodies power. The president is Tariq Abdulaziz Al Naama, a Qatari and shareholder of Aspire. Also on the board are Jassim Al Ansari and former Everton Australian striker Tim Cahill. Ghosts at Kerhweg.
The decision-making power is in the hands of a German, Andreas Bleicher, also a member of Aspire and completely unknown to the general public. Which has brought a nice dose of Bundesliga in recent years (three of the last four coaches were German: Krämer, Storck and Kohfeldt). But without creating a soul in the club. Without making supporters want to push their club. Without installing positive pressure.
Will Eupen return to the elite one day? Nobody knows because nobody knows the owners' plans with this club which is only seen as a relay. In this uncertainty which does not prevent anyone from sleeping, we will just remember the few beautiful moments offered by the Pandas. The surprise of seeing Claude Makélélé on the bench (2017 to 2019), Luis Garcia's class And Henry Onyekuru's dribbles, which will remain the club's biggest sale (8 million to Everton). It's not much, but that's it.
