Belgian second division side Royal Antwerp FC has taken another step in the process of "obtaining a license" after entrepreneur Patrick Decuyper settled €600,000 ($673,600) of debts, according to Samindra Kunti of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. The club has been "in decline" since the late '90s, playing mostly in the second division, the Proximus League, and facing a debt crisis of owing creditors up to €2.5M ($2.8M). An entrepreneur and former CEO of Belgian Pro League side club Zulte Waregem, Decuyper has "stepped in to help Antwerp." Decuyper was the "driving force" behind Zulte Waregem's youth academy, Essevee Soccer School, and considers Antwerp's urban environment to be "fertile football ground." Decuyper: "I'm going to save Antwerp and make it a wonderful club again along with a lot of people, with all the fans." Decuyper is not responsible for "financing the organization." He explained that Antwerp's balance sheet "didn't look good." Decuyper said, "I have searched and found people who provided me the money. But they'd rather stay a bit in the background at the moment" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 3/2).
