In modern football the margins for surprises are getting narrower. In this sense, it always has its own, special, importance to try to explain how and why behind an unexpected success. And as such is defined for the time being what - until recently unknown to many - Royal Union Saint-Zilouaz succeeds in Belgium. The team of Brussels stands at the top of the scoreboard of the Jupiler Pro League, ie the big category of Belgian football, which, after 17 games, is at +4 from Antwerp and Bruges and at +9 from Anderlecht! Not to mention a team that has just risen to the top domestic level of football.
Eleven championships before World War II
In fact, it did not just go up. He is back. And this happened to her 48 whole years after her last participation in the first division of Belgian football. You do not say a word. Everything else… So much it took to shed some light again της on the glory that her fellow citizen Anderlecht "stole" from her in the almost half century that she was absent. And yet, for the general public, the name Union Saint-Zilouaz may mean nothing, but for Belgian football it means a lot. This is because it is the most successful team in Belgium until World War II. It was founded in 1897 and from 1904 to 1935 won 11 championships and two Cups! In fact, from 1933 to 1935 he recorded the unbeaten to date - for a Belgian team - a record of 60 consecutive games without defeat! Its vertical decline began in 1963, when it was relegated to the second division, to reach from 1980 onwards even playing in local leagues.
The entrance of Tony Bloom
But how did he manage not only to reach the Jupiler Pro League again, but also to be at the top of the standings? It all started in 2018, when Brighton owner Tony Bloom was looking for a team in Europe to invest in. The history of the club, combined with the fact that it still retained many fans (mainly in Brussels), despite the adventure of several years, made him see the prospect of acquiring him.
Gambling, horses, poker and unspeakable winnings
On May 21, 2018, therefore, the majority stake in the Jupiler Pro League passed into the hands of a man who has occupied the Media dozens of times. Tony Bloom is not the conventional team owner, as he made his money… by gambling! A fanatical gambler, he recorded historic victories on his assets at the English Hippodrome, such that he was given the nickname "Godfather of Gambling". In simple Greek, "the godfather of gambling"! This is the nickname that accompanies it. The other is "The Lizard", which belongs to a Marvel Comics hero. The urban legend wants this nickname to have been born on a poker night (fanatic player…), where Tony Bloom collected 2 million from the table. euro! He now owns the company "Starlizard", which specializes in betting tips and brings him about 100 million. euros per year. In fact, he has people in many European countries, who provide him with the data of the championships, but also separately of the games. The data is collected, statistical models are created and all this is provided to its customers in order to bet.
Database trust and rise
This man, then, is the one behind the rebirth of Union Saint-Zilouaz. He took over in May 2018 and within two years he managed to bring it to where it historically belongs. He achieved this, taking advantage of the large database available to the company "Starlizard" in the search for players. A… copy, in essence, of the model he applied to his favorite Brighton. Yes, the coach's opinion plays a role, but there is even more confidence in what the numbers say because that already works in Brighton.
The Stade Joseph Marien
The stadium of Union Saint-Zilouaz is the "Stade Joseph Marien", a stadium that inaugurated in 1919, in a friendly game with Milan. A year later, it hosted three Olympic Games, in 1926 it was partially rebuilt, while from 2018 it can accommodate 9,400 spectators. It is a cultural heritage site for the Belgian state, which means that even if Tony Bloom decided at some point to proceed with some impressive reconstruction, this would not be possible. So, if Union Saint-Zilouaz grows even bigger in the future, the club will have to look for solutions elsewhere. Most likely, Tony Bloom would bet on that. You;