It has turned out to be a very short stint as the head coach of KV Oostende for American Jamath Shoffner. The University of North Carolina alumni arrived at the Belgian Coast just four months ago with the mission to save the Kustboys from relegation after having been deducted points for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
The club had been in administration while Shoffner set out to maintain their Challenger League status. He was successful in doing so, only to find out weeks later that the sale of the club to Apex, led by British businessman Mark Campbell had fallen through. Although 10 million Euros in debt, American businessman and majority shareholder Paul Conway of Pacific Media Group (PMG) refused to give up his shares.
Having no new owner and and unable to provide the Belgian FA’s licensing committee proof of funds, a license to play in the Challenger League next season will not be granted. Without it, the club would drop to the fifth division which would make it impossible for them to generate enough funds to pay off their debt. The only option without a new owner is bankruptcy.
Shoffner joined Oostende on January 15 of this year after resigning from his coaching post with F91 Dudelange of the Luxembourg National Division, the country’s highest soccer league. At this time, the former Charlotte FC assistant coach’s future plans are unknown.
