November 7 – After months of uncertainty, Belgian club Deinze has been rescued following a takeover by the Luxembourg investment group, AAD, with former press officer Céline Mawet stepping up as CEO.
Following the withdrawal of their main investors from Singapore, ACA Partners, the club seemed headed toward bankruptcy but on Wednesday the second-division outfit presented Luxembourg’s AAD Invest Group as the new owners.
“In talks with the club’s teams and local players, I saw the great will and desire to save Deinze, and I agreed to support them in this rescue operation,” said Doudou Cissé, AAD’s CEO.
No terms of the new deal were revealed, but the 28-year-old Mawet, was confirmed as CEO and tasked “to lead this transformation… Her expertise and vision align seamlessly with AAD Invest’s ambitions, and her appointment reflects the group’s commitment to recognizing and supporting talent,” said a club statement.
Like ACA Partners, ADD Invest Group wants to build a network of clubs. On its website, ADD Invest Group lists Unicorn Gulf LTD and GEM as strategic partners. In an interview from 2022, Cissé said that he assisted the Binzahed Group in Dubai in the acquisition of European clubs.
“The Sporting Director of the group, Franck Villani, has already started a proactive dialogue with the team and met players and staff to strengthen the project,” the club statement ended.
“He is assisted daily by Bob de Klerk, and together they will shape the sporting project of Deinze. Together, with the internal teams and the supporters of the club, we will do everything we can to guarantee the success of the Deinze project.”
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