Latest news with #UnionSaintGilloise
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Promise David extends contract with Belgian champion Union Saint-Gilloise
Social Sharing Canadian international forward Promise David has extended his stay with Belgium champion Union Saint-Gilloise. The 23-year-old David, whose existing contract ran until 2027 with an option, is now signed with the Belgian club until June 2029. David scored 24 goals and added five assists in 41 matches last season, helping Union Saint-Gilloise to its first league title in 90 years. David is currently in Vancouver with Canada, which was scheduled to open Gold Cup play against Honduras later Tuesday at B.C. Place Stadium before heading to Houston to face Curacao and El Salvador. WATCH | Is Canada ready to win the Gold Cup? Is Canada ready to win the Gold Cup? Plus, Holly Ward talks her NSL journey 8 hours ago Duration 15:58 David scored in his senior debut for Canada in a 4-2 win over Ukraine earlier this month at the Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto. Born in Brampton to Nigerian parents, David made his debut for the Nigerian under-23 side in October 2022. But in February, after talks with Canada coach Jesse Marsch, his request to switch allegiance was approved by FIFA. David started at the Toronto FC pre-academy, spending two or three years there before he was let go at 14. He found a new home with Vaughan SC. After high school, David elected to go pro rather than the U.S. college route — he only got one partial scholarship offer, from Appalachian State. After attending a tryout camp held by a Croatian second-division team in suburban Oakville in 2019, he found himself in Croatia two weeks later. That led to a move to third-division NK Trnje Zagreb where he played in the under-19 league against youth sides from top teams. In 2021, he returned to North America to join FC Tulsa of the USL Championship. The next year he went to Malta where he was initially assigned to the under-19 team at Valetta FC but was quickly promoted to the senior side. After the team survived relegation, he switched clubs and hit a roadblock at Sirens FC, where he didn't play. The six-foot-four 209-pounder joined Estonia's Kalju FC in In early 2023 before moving to Belgium last July.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Tony Bloom's other clubs: How Brighton owner has been embraced at Hearts, Melbourne Victory and USG
Tony Bloom did not occupy the seat set aside for the visiting chairman when Brighton & Hove Albion won 4-1 away to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season. Brighton's long-serving owner-chairman was in Belgium for the weekend instead to witness a long-awaited triumph for Union Saint-Gilloise, the club he holds closest in his affections after his boyhood club, in an expanding football empire that also includes Heart of Midlothian in Scotland and Melbourne Victory in Australia. Advertisement About 90 minutes after Fabian Hurzeler's first campaign as Brighton's head coach ended in north London with an eighth-placed finish in the club's eighth season in succession playing at that level, celebrations were under way in Brussels at the Joseph Marien Stadium as USG clinched their first domestic top-flight title for 90 years with a 3-1 home win against Gent. USG's transformation has been remarkable since Bloom took over the club in 2018 alongside longtime friend and business associate Alex Muzio — they attended the same school in Hove and Muzio rose through Bloom's gambling consultancy company StarLizard. Back then, USG had narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier and they had not played in the top-flight Belgian Pro League since 1973. They were a shadow of the club that dominated Belgian football before the Second World War, finishing champions or runners-up 19 times before 1904 and 1935, before falling into decay and dropping down to the fourth division. Seven years on, they have been regular title contenders since promotion in 2020-21, reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the last 16 of the Conference League in successive seasons and, in 2024, won the Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup. Muzio, reflecting on USG's turnaround under the partnership with Bloom, tells The Athletic: 'We looked at teams in a league we could realistically win without buying a large team. That made France and Holland difficult. 'Belgium has a deeper power base of teams than those countries, so, yes, it was always the plan. I wouldn't say Europe was a strong consideration, more something that would come with how good we hoped and planned to be in the long term. The work continues here. I'm definitely not resting on my laurels.' For the first five years of the partnership, Bloom was the majority owner. Muzio held a 10 per cent stake and controlled the board voting rights. In July 2023, after Brighton reached Europe for the first time under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi to qualify for the Europa League, Bloom reduced his holding to a minority stake. Muzio remortgaged his house to acquire 75 per cent of the club. The ownership adjustment was made to comply with UEFA Competition Regulations around multi-club ownership as USG were also in the Europa League. Advertisement Player movement from Brighton to USG used to be frequent — former players Percy Tau (in 2018-2019), Alex Cochrane (in 2020-21) and current star Kaoru Mitoma (in 2021-22) all had loans there. That has dissipated in line with the style of Bloom's multi-club model, with the clubs regarded as unconnected entities and personal ventures. There are, however, parallels in the smart recruitment of players and coaches to absorb churn. On the playing side, striker Deniz Undav joined USG from the German third division, was sold to Brighton for €7million (£5.8m; $7.6m) in January 2022 and is now a German international playing for Stuttgart, having been sold on by Brighton to the Bundesliga club in a deal worth £28m last August. Hurzeler is Brighton's fourth head coach/manager in seven seasons. USG have had the same number since 2022 — Felice Mazzu, Karel Geraerts, Alexander Blessin (Hurzeler's successor at St Pauli) and former Brighton defender Sebastien Pocognoli, who steered them to their 12th domestic title. Heart of Midlothian supporters are hopeful the success of USG, with Bloom's involvement, is a blueprint to restore former glories at the Scottish Premier League club, which is based in Edinburgh. An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders at their Tynecastle Park home on June 18 will formally approve a £9.86million investment by Bloom. It follows 98.5 per cent support for his proposal in a vote last month by the Foundation of Hearts (FoH), the fans group with 8,000 members that owns the club. In return, Bloom gets a 29 per cent stake but they are non-voting shares, and a place on the board will be taken by a nominee rather than Bloom himself. The money is a personal investment by Bloom, with the aim of shaking up the Scottish football establishment. Glasgow sides Celtic and Rangers have dominated for decades. The last of the four top-flight league titles won by Hearts was in 1959-60. So how can he help to bridge the gap? Advertisement In a separate agreement, Bloom's data platform, Jamestown Analytics, will identify new signings for Derek McInnes. The former head coach of Aberdeen and Kilmarnock took charge last month as Hearts finished seventh of 12 teams in the league, a whopping 40 points behind champions Celtic and 23 points adrift of runners-up Rangers, under Steven Naismith in the early stages of the season and Neil Critchley for the majority of the campaign. 'We think this is a game-changer, and we think this is something which can put us on a different level,' said chair Gerry Mallon during an interview on FoH's YouTube channel in March. 'I think bringing somebody on board with the integrity, with the capability and of the calibre of Tony Bloom is a great coup for us.' Bloom has chosen aptly by buying into Melbourne Victory in the A-League in Australia — the home country of his wife Linda and a destination for regular family visits with their two children. His purchase of a 19.1 per cent stake in the club in March was accompanied by memes on social media about Seagulls, Brighton's nickname. AAMI Park, Victory's home stadium, is renowned for being overrun by these coastal birds. Victory have a chequered financial history. They announced around the time of Bloom's investment that they are no longer owned by A-Cap. The U.S. insurance firm took control last year of the assets of 777Partners, the Miami-based investment company that made a failed attempt to add Everton to its portfolio of football clubs two years ago. Victory, A-League champions four times but not since 2014-15, posted a loss of £4.8million ($6.2m) in 2023-24, so it is not surprising that Bloom's arrival on the scene has received an enthusiastic thumbs-up from supporters. 'They were very pleased to see Tony Bloom come in because they knew of his reputation for incredibly well-run organisations,' Australia football writer Joey Lynch tells The Athletic. 'It was rumoured for a while and they were absolutely ecstatic when it was confirmed. Advertisement 'A-League observers welcomed Tony Bloom into the fold as well. He is only a minority owner without a controlling stake, but he carries a reputation for good custodianship of his clubs in a league that desperately needs investment from fit and proper characters.' Bloom's joy with USG in Belgium in May contrasted with pain for Victory the following weekend as they lost 1-0 at home to rivals Melbourne City in the grand final that decides the A-League champions. They were also beaten in the 2023-24 final, suffering a 3-1 defeat against Central Coast Mariners. Bloom's expertise in player recruitment modelling is key to their plans. 'The short-term hope for Melbourne Victory would be access to scouting and data analytics for recruitment, because the A-League operates with a salary cap,' says Lynch. 'Melbourne are expected to sell or lose a lot of players during the off-season, as free agents or transfers. 'All of those players need to be replaced in a salary-cap environment where you have a limited number of foreigners and, if you want to remain competitive year in and year out, you need smart recruitment. Victory have made the grand final to determine the champions two years in a row and they've lost both times, so they need someone to help them take the next step.' If Bloom's record of success with Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise is a dependable yardstick, Hearts and Melbourne Victory can both look forward to brighter futures.
CBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canada's Promise David attracting attention with Belgian soccer champs before transfer window
Soccer has already taken Promise David to Croatia, the United States, Malta, Estonia and Belgium. And the 23-year-old forward from Brampton, Ont., could be on the move again during the summer transfer window. There have been bumps along the way for David, who usually goes by Tobi (his full name is Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu). "I call it a journey through hell," David said with a smile. "I'm just trying to better myself as a football player and reach higher levels. But, yeah, from each place, I took a piece of football and added it to myself. And I think that's created the Tobi that's here today." For the time being, he is happy to be with Union Saint-Gilloise, which won its first Belgian league title in 90 years last month. "Best football I've ever played in my life," David said of Belgium. "I really take in every moment, because it might not last." While David is under contract to Union Saint-Gilloise, his goal-scoring exploits have attracted attention ahead of the June 15 opening of the transfer window. He recorded 24 goals in all competitions this season with eight of those coming in the 10-game championship round (the top six Belgian sides meet in a mini-league to decide the title). David is currently with Canada in Halifax preparing for the inaugural four-team Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto. The 30th-ranked Canadians open Saturday against No. 25 Ukraine before facing No. 41 Ivory Coast on Tuesday. David expects a large contingent of friends and family at BMO Field, noting they haven't seen him play live since high school. "I think I bought tickets for the entire stadium," he said. 'Had a nose for goal' Born in Brampton to Nigerian parents, David made his debut for the Nigerian under-23 side in October 2022. But in February, after talks with Canada coach Jesse Marsch, his request to switch allegiance was approved by FIFA. David started at the Toronto FC pre-academy, spending two or three years there before he was let go at 14. He found a new home with Vaughan SC where he excelled despite still growing into an imposing body that now measures six-foot-four and 209 pounds. "He almost looked clumsy when he ran. But he had a nose for goal," said Anthony Vadori, Vaughan's director of men's high performance. "He always found himself in front of goal with an opportunity to shoot." He also played with a smile on his face. "You could tell he loved to play; he wanted to learn so much, which was nice." said Vadori. After high school, David elected to go pro rather than the U.S. college route -- he only got one partial scholarship offer, from Appalachian State -- after negotiating a deadline with his parents to make it in soccer. "I asked for six months. And then six months turned into a year and a half. And that year and a half turned into two years. Two years turned in three. And then after three, I think they kind of realized I don't want to go to school." Dealt with racism as teen in Croatia After attending a tryout camp held by a Croatian second-division team in suburban Oakville in 2019, he found himself in Croatia two weeks later. That led to a move to third-division NK Trnje Zagreb where he played in the under-19 league against youth sides from top teams. "I was just exploring and discovering the world of football and other cultures," he said. It was not all fun, dealing with the language barrier and some racism. In 2021, he returned to North America to join FC Tulsa of the USL Championship where he played against older, more experienced players. "It forced me to grow, forced me to hit the gym. Forced me to understand how my body works and how to run at people, how to hit people, how to take hits," he said. The next year he went to Malta where he was initially assigned to the under-19 team at Valetta FC but was quickly promoted to the senior side. After the team survived relegation, he switched clubs and hit a roadblock at Sirens FC, where he didn't play. "It was horrible. But that's football," he said. In early 2023, he joined Estonia's Kalju FC where It took a coaching chance for him to get his chance with the senior side. He started scoring, which triggered the move to Belgium last July. Loves Union fans, teammates and coach For David, ignorance is bliss right now when it comes to a possible transfer. "Anything's possible," he said. "I just hope they don't tell me anything until it's ready to sign." "You can crack your brain thinking about it," he added. He could stay where he is. European cup football awaits, and David has grown to love Union's fans as well as his teammates and coach. He is an avid Chelsea fan, and devotee of club legend Didier Drogba. "It wasn't really the goal-scoring that got me, it was the playmaking ability and just the sheer strength and the problems [he presented] for defenders," he said. While going to a Chelsea game has long been on his bucket list, there is a caveat. "I kind of told myself I would not go to Chelsea unless I get to play there first, like against them," he said. "I told myself that a couple of years ago."
National Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Canada's Promise David scoring goals and attracting attention with Belgian champions
Soccer has already taken Promise David to Croatia, the United States, Malta, Estonia and Belgium. And the 23-year-old forward from Brampton, Ont., could be on the move again during the summer transfer window. Article content There have been bumps along the way for David, who usually goes by Tobi (his full name is Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu). Article content 'I call it a journey though hell,' David said with a smile. 'I'm just trying to better myself as a football player and reach higher levels. But, yeah, from each place, I took a piece of football and added it to myself. And I think that's created the Tobi that's here today.' Article content For the time being, he is happy to be with Union Saint-Gilloise, which won its first Belgian league title in 90 years last month. Article content 'Best football I've ever played in my life,' David said of Belgium. 'I really take in every moment, because it might not last.' Article content While David is under contract to Union Saint-Gilloise, his goal-scoring exploits have attracted attention ahead of the June 15 opening of the transfer window. He recorded 24 goals in all competitions this season with eight of those coming in the 10-game championship round (the top six Belgian sides meet in a mini-league to decide the title). Article content David is currently with Canada in Halifax, preparing for the inaugural four-team Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto. The 30th-ranked Canadians open Saturday against No. 25 Ukraine before facing No. 41 Ivory Coast on Tuesday. Article content David expects a large contingent of friends and family at BMO Field, noting they haven't seen him play live since high school Article content 'I think I bought tickets for the entire stadium,' he said. Article content Article content Born in Brampton to Nigerian parents, David made his debut for the Nigerian under-23 side in October 2022. But in February, after talks with Canada coach Jesse Marsch, his request to switch allegiance was approved by FIFA. Article content David started at the Toronto FC pre-academy, spending two or three years there before he was let go at 14. He found a new home with Vaughan SC where he excelled despite still growing into an imposing body that now measures six foot four and 209 pounds. Article content 'He almost looked clumsy when he ran. But he had a nose for goal,' said Anthony Vadori, Vaughan's director of men's high performance. 'He always found himself in front of goal with an opportunity to shoot.'
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
In numbers: Why Hearts made Kabangu's stay permanent
Following a promising second half of the season, Hearts have decided to make Elton Kabangu's loan stay from Union Saint-Gilloise a permanent Belgian striker was one of the first new faces in the Tynecastle club's data-driven Jamestown Analytics era, finishing the season as second top scorer with eight goals in all is pretty good going given the forward only signed in January and played just 18 games, but what makes his goals tally more impressive is the fact none of them came from the penalty you compare that to forwards who have played at least 10 Scottish Premiership games this season, Kabangu's non-penalty-goals average of 0.54 per 90 ranks him in the league's top the striker sits ninth for his expected goals tally of 0.5 per 90, and his shot (21%) and big chance (56%) conversion rates also place him high in the Premiership forward you narrow that search down to just Hearts players on a per-90 basis, Kabangu sits top for goals, expected goals and shots on target.A goals-per-90 average of 0.54 over a 38-game season would accumulate a very healthy return of 19, so now the challenge for the 27-year-old is maintaining that form over the course of an entire campaign under new boss Derek McInnes.
