Are we close?

According to sources of respected Belgian journalist John Chapman Roland Duchatelet appeared tired and is looking to concentrate his 71-year old mind on other things. This came after he sold his remaining shares in Belgian side Sint-Truiden (STVV), always considered to be his favourite ‘child.’

Duchatelet and his partner Marieke Höfte have been involved with Sint-Truiden on and off, but mostly on since 2003. He only bought back the club last year after selling up in 2011 but this week he sold STVV to DMM, a diversfied Japanese electronics and online shopping company. I don’t know, but I suspect the amount of the sale was ‘undisclosed.’

Duchatelet and STVV president Marijke Hofte failed to attend the press conference, there’s a surprise, but DMM’s acquisition is expected to be completed on December 1st, when Hofte will step down. Duchatelet’s departure from Sint-Truiden ends his football ties in his home country but he still owns Carl Zeiss Jena, Újpest and AD Alcorcón, plus a little club in south London.

It is important to note though that Duchatelet has only sold the STVV football club but has kept the stadium and presumably all of the commercial activities that surround Stayen.

This news has stirred rumours again that Duchatelet is also ready to call it a day on his 100% ownership of the Addicks. Recently beleaguered CEO Katrien Meire gave an interview to the Belgium magazine Knack which read like a PR effort to rebuild her career, prompting many of us to presume that she is planning her next move. As for the nutty professor, let’s hope that he is tired and disillusioned enough to progress a sale with those parties interested, which is known to be a couple.

One note of caution as I look at the calendar and read comments from Karl Robinson that Ezri Konsa will inevitably be sold in January. Duchatelet shrunk the squad and sold a lot of players from Standard Liege before he sold them in 2015, and there was a huge turnaround of players at STVV this last summer too, although in all fairness they are having a good season. Not that appears to matter to Duchatelet, whose ambitions have never included success on a football pitch.