Other than a stadium that turns into a nightclub after matches and stays open until 5am, there is not much going for KV Oostende these days. De Kustboys, who reached the qualifying rounds of the Europa League in 2017 after losing in the Belgian Cup final during their first season at the Diaz Arena, were relegated last month after a decade in the Jupiler League and attracted an average attendance of only 3,700 at their 8,400-capacity home.
KVO briefly had their professional licence withdrawn in 2020 after financial difficulties under the previous regime, before being purchased by Pacific Media Group, a US-based investment fund that sold Nice to Sir Jim Ratcliffe in 2019 and has stakes in several other European clubs including the League One side Barnsley, Nancy in France and Kaiserslautern in Germany. With KVO’s debts reported at €6m, there were fears recently that their licence application would again be rejected and that they could follow the fate of Royal Excel Mouscron, the former Jupiler League club dissolved in December after filing for bankruptcy.
