The official shutdown of Liège’s activities is now just a matter of days
After the announcement of Liège’s withdrawal from the BNXTRT League, the Belgian-Dutch basketball championship, in the pages of La Dernière Heure, the management of the Liège club confirmed to BELGA on Wednesday that the liquidation of the non-profit organization managing the professional activities of the Liège team is now just a matter of days.
In the meantime, the last players under contract (Brieuc Lemaire, Moussa Noterman, and Bram Bogaerts) have already been released by the club and can now join the team of their choice. Following the recent announcement of the withdrawal of its American buyer Ernie Cambo, the future of the principality club was more than uncertain. “Even if Mr. Cambo did not demand any repayment of the invested sums, gathering the annual operating budget of a professional club at such short notice is a challenge. We had contacts with two buyers, the last one on Monday, but they quickly withdrew. The lack of political and financial support in the region, as well as the absence of interlocutors and indications regarding the rental price of the Country Hall for the upcoming season, were the reasons,” explained President François Ancion.
“The club has no more debt, and we will settle the outstanding balances. I emphasize that the amateur section is completely independent, and its future and activities are not in question,” added François Ancion. After its promotion to the elite at the end of the 1999-2000 season, the Fléron club moved to the Country Hall at Sart-Tilman under the leadership of Jean Joly, its then president, to take on the name Liège Basket. In 24 seasons in Division 1, the club won a Belgian Cup and once reached the playoffs final under the guidance of a certain Dario Gjergja.