The president of the Mouvement Réformateur and chairman of Challenger Pro League side Royal Francs Borains has issued a formal communiqué claiming personal credit for Belgium’s World Cup campaign, before pivoting, in the same document, to a request that FIFA schedule a friendly match between the Francs Borains and Spain at the Stade Robert-Urbain in Boussu as a “tactical warm-up” ahead of Saturday’s quarterfinal.
The communiqué, which runs to 14 pages and is addressed simultaneously to FIFA, the RBFA, the Spanish Football Federation, the Pro League board of directors (on which Bouchez now sits), and, for reasons that remain unclear, the editorial desk of LN24, opens with a three-page tribute to “the liberal values that made this World Cup run possible.”
“Let us be honest about what happened in Seattle,” the document reads. “Belgium did not simply defeat the United States. Belgium defeated the idea that the state should control football. This was a victory for private initiative, competitive markets, and the entrepreneurial spirit that I have championed my entire career.”
The communiqué does not elaborate on how private initiative contributed to any of the four goals.
The pivot to Boussu
By page five, the document transitions without warning into a proposal for a preparatory friendly between the Francs Borains and Spain, to be held at the club’s 3,200-seat ground in Boussu. Bouchez argues that the match would serve as “invaluable preparation” for the Red Devils, who would be permitted to watch from the stands and “observe tactical principles at close range.”
The Francs Borains finished 12th in the Challenger Pro League last season and currently carry an estimated deficit of five million euros, a figure Bouchez has previously addressed by hypothecating his own house and securing investment from a Belgian-Lebanese businessman active in construction, fertilisers, and Qatar.
“A board-level figure in Belgian football governance”
The Spanish Football Federation has not responded to the proposal. Sources familiar with the organisation suggest the communiqué was initially mistaken for spam due to its length and the inclusion of what appeared to be an embedded sponsorship for a regional frituur in Boussu.
Bouchez has justified his involvement by citing his recent appointment to the Pro League board of directors, a position he secured in June after the promotion of Lommel vacated the Challenger Pro League seat. “I am now a board-level figure in Belgian football governance,” the communiqué notes on page nine. “It is only natural that I contribute to the national team’s preparation. I have the expertise. I have the network. I have the stadium. Admittedly, the stadium has no VAR, no undersoil heating, and some of the floodlights need replacing. But these are details.”
Synergies
The communiqué also includes a section titled “Synergies,” in which Bouchez proposes that the quarterfinal broadcast be accompanied by a live Unibet odds ticker, a suggestion he describes as “in the interest of viewer engagement and economic freedom.” A footnote clarifies that he is “no longer personally sponsored by Ladbrokes,” a clarification that nobody had requested and that sources say raised more questions than it answered.
Political reactions
Political reactions have been swift. A PS spokesperson described the communiqué as “the most Georges-Louis Bouchez document ever produced, which is saying something.” Ecolo noted that the proposal contained “more pages than the Francs Borains have points in some recent seasons.” The N-VA declined to comment but was reportedly seen forwarding the document internally with the subject line “Is this real?”
Bouchez has dismissed the criticism as “typical of parties that have never run a football club, a political party, and a Pro League board seat simultaneously,” before adding that “if Belgium win on Saturday, I will be available for interview on every channel. Simultaneously, if necessary.”
Belgium face Spain on Saturday at 18:00 CET. The Francs Borains’ next competitive fixture is a pre-season friendly against a regional youth side in August. Bouchez has confirmed he will attend both.