Red Devils reap benefits of World Cup

Meanwhile, Club Brugge could lose Oscar Duarte, who is a target for Sunderland: Duarte scored against Uruguay in Costa Rica’s shock World Cup victory and has already scored for Brugge in the league this season.

But the summer marked the end of the road for Daniel Van Buyten, who announced his retirement. The 36-year-old defender, who played for Charleroi, Standard Liège, Marseille, Manchester City and Bayern Munich during his career, had received offers from German, French and Belgian clubs, including Anderlecht. Van Buyten, who helped Bayern Munich win four Bundesliga titles, won the last of his 84 caps in the defeat to Argentina.

The domestic season began in early August and Flemish clubs are already dominating the Jupiler League: Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Gent and Westerlo are sitting at the top of the table. Anderlecht are also in the Champions League, which is due to resume on September 16 and17, with Standard Liège hoping to join them if they get through a qualifier against Zenit Saint Petersburg (where Belgians Nicolas Lombaerts and Axel Witsel will be battling for the Russians).

Club Brugge and Lokeren will need to beat Zurich’s Grasshoppers and England’s Hull City respectively to be sure of playing in the Europa League.

As for the Red Devils, the World Cup effect also meant a new kit deal with German sportswear giant Adidas that runs until 2016, replacing little-known Burrda. They will wear the new kit for first time in a friendly against Australia on September 4 in Liège. Supporters will also have the chance to catch up with them on September 6 in Ostend when they hold a Family Day with an open training session, and meet-and-greets with fans.

After that, they begin their qualifying campaign for the 2016 European Championships in France, with a match against Israel in Jerusalem on September 9. Belgium are now ranked fifth in the world by Fifa, so they are favourites to top their qualifying group, which includes Wales, Bosnia, Cyprus and Andorra. Such is the expectation among fans now that nothing less is expected from them.

Elsewhere in sport, sprinters Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, Tyson Gay and Kim Collins will be in the line-up at the King Boudewijn stadium in Brussels on September 5 for the Memorial Van Damme games. All four have run the 100m in under 10 seconds this season, with Gatlin the fastest at 9.80. 


The home contingent includes long jumper Mathias Broothaerts, Pieter-Jan Hannes in the 1500m, Kevin, Jonathan and Dylan Borlée in the 400m, Eline Berings and Anne Zagré in the 100m hurdles, Axelle Dauwens in the 400m hurdles and Filip Milanov in the discus.

Though Belgium brought back just one medal from the European Athletic Championships in Zurich this month – Nafissatou Thiam’s heptathlon bronze – locals are expected to be on the podium in Brussels.

Others at the games include New Zealand’s double Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams, while the high jump will pit Ukrainian world champion Bohdan Bondarenko against Russian Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov. World record holder Usain Bolt is skipping this year’s event for the first time since 2010 as he battles to regain his fitness after surgery on his left foot in March. The event will close with a performance by singer Ozark Henry.

The Memorial Van Damme, also known as the Brussels Diamond Games, is the final season event for the International Athletics Federation Diamond League 

Photo: © Joan Cros Garcia/Demotix/Corbis