Matchday 29 review

Before the last set of this season’s matches kick off this coming Sunday afternoon, 13 of the 16 teams to be part of the league in 2024/25 have already confirmed their spot in the division. Of the current crop, four teams (Mondercange, Kaerjéng, Marisca Mersch and Fola Esch) are still fighting for their places, while Schifflange ’95 were officially relegated following their 4-1 loss at home to Swift Hesper last week.

On the other hand, SC Bettembourg will return to the top-flight after a 50-year hiatus, closely followed by FC Rodange 91 who have also slipped away from their chasers to book the second automatic promotion spot.

As always, the 13th and 14th-placed BGL Ligue outfits will have to defend their place against the 3rd and 4th-best teams of the Ehrenpromotion respectively. As it stands, Marisca Mersch would host US Hostert, while US Rumelange would be travelling to Bascharage to try and take Käerjéng’s place at the top table.

Obviously, a lot can change in the traditionally most chaotic part of the season, when every team runs out on the pitch fighting (or not quite) for different ambitions in the last matchday. Not only the placements can still vary, but the fates of each club bar Schifflange have not yet been sealed. Fola Esch are the only other team to be certainly occupying a bottom-four position after the curtain-raiser on Sunday, but even they can grab the opportunity of a relegation play-off with a win against already-crowned champions Differdange.

As for Mondercange, Käerjéng and Marisca (the only three clubs in limbo following Mondorf, RFCUL and Wiltz confirming their survival), the options range from direct relegation to total safety in one week’s time. And if that didn’t bring enough jeopardy in itself, the draw pitted the former two against each other on the final day, essentially bringing us a one-off shootout for the precious BGL Ligue membership.

In a season where the title race never really heated up and the four European places were never in doubt (until very recently, and in the most unexpectable way – we’ll return to this later), the relegation dogfight is as exciting as it rarely is in Luxembourg – a refreshing sight, and the all-important wreck-fest derby in the last round will be one for all fans to cherish.

No Hesper in Europe!

According to UEFA’s latest review into all club’s finances and documents ahead of acquiring a UEFA Continental License for the following season, it made the verdict the FLF has since reiterated: four Luxembourgish teams are banned from Europe for 2024/25.

Of the current group of teams still fighting for a place to compete, FC Differdange, F91 Dudelange, Progrès Niederkorn, UNA Strassen and Victoria Rosport were all successful in their attempts to obtain the necessary license. However, Swift Hesperange, Jeunesse Esch and Union Titus Pétange (alongside now-relegated Schifflange ’95) were denied entry to European competitions.

UEFA, European football’s governing body, also provided an explanation for their decisions. Swift Hesperange, Union Titus Pétange and Schifflange all have unpaid bills towards players or staff, and/or other financing issues (stemming from over- or underspending) that makes them ineligible to compete.

In Hesper’s case, rumours of unpaid wages surfaced as early as February, when several key players (Dominik Stolz and Clément Couturier among them) were frozen out of the first team squad and made to train with the reserves in response to their concerns. Union’s squad for next season looks especially thin, too, as they have not succeeded in the contract talks about next season with more than half of their current roster yet. Schifflange’s infrastructure reflects the lack of necessary investment in the club, the money instead being spent on hefty salaries for players arguably past their prime (which played no small part in their on-pitch difficulties, too).

For Jeunesse Esch, the reason was different: UEFA cited an “impossibility to express an opinion”, which likely means the Bianconeri failed to deliver sufficient information or the required documents to the committee’s disposal. Even though Hesperange were expected to be granted permission for the license, the decision not to launch their own request looks like a major oversight from the Jeunesse board in retrospect.

The decisions will not impact the number of places Luxembourg gets in Europe overall. The one Champions League qualifier spot will remain with FC Differdange, while the Europa Conference League provides another avenue for three teams from the Grand Duchy. Progrès and Dudelange had already reserved their tickets in advance, but it has now transpired that the third (now empty) slot will go to UNA Strassen or Victoria Rosport, the only two teams with a mathematical chance of finishing as the ‘best of the rest’.

Strassen currently sit fourth, three points ahead of Rosport, and a draw or win against Swift Hesperange would provide the first opportunity for an international foray in the club’s history.

Meanwhile, Rosport need a win against Marisca Mersch to be able to overtake Strassen. The only time Rosport have featured in Europe was in 2005, when they lost to IFK Göteborg (Sweden) by an aggregate score of 5-2 in the first round of the short-lived UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Player of the Week

Dave Turpel might be approaching his peak fitness and top form a little too late considering we are one week away from a two-month long summer break for all clubs, but his big moment had long been coming.

Having made his return in the Luxembourgish Cup with a hat-trick in September, he was back in league action shortly after, for the first time since his injuries in a traffic accident in 2019 left him requiring surgery and full rehabilitation. For years, his future in the world of football looked doubtful. Turpel had earned 52 caps for Luxembourg at international level by then, scoring 6 goals, which led to some of the top clubs of the country continuously taking gambles by signing him despite his well-documented health issues, in the hope that the striker would miraculously regain full fitness earlier than expected.

After half a year out at Belgian club Virton, two years without making an appearance at Swift Hesperange and another at Progrès Niederkorn, it looks like his time has finally come. After nine substitute cameos in the BGL Ligue, he found himself in the Wasps’ starting XI for the first time since signing for them in 2022, coincidentally against his old club, F91 Dudelange.

It was in the Stade Jos Nosbaum where Turpel enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career, with a staggering 95 goals and 25 assists in 125 league games for F91. He finished as top scorer in 2017/18 (with 33 goals in 26 matches!), winning three Luxembourgish Cups, four National Division titles and a League Cup (the competition was last held in 2020).

The striker’s bond with Dudelange is seemingly as strong as ever, as he ended up rediscovering his old form last Saturday, turning the clocks back to his pre-injury performances. His brace helped Niederkorn defeat Dudelange 2-0, and stake a claim for a podium finish. It was Turpel’s first goal involvement in any league since 2020, and the first in Luxembourg since 19 May 2019 – one day short of five whole years.

Turpel, now 31, can still enjoy several successful years in the remainder of his career if further injury setbacks elude him, but to have been taken away the opportunity to make a name for himself in his prime (his accident came only three years after he won the Luxembourgish Footballer of the Year award) must have had an immense psychological toll to deal with. However, in his current form, things look encouraging for him once again.

Collapse at the worst time

US Mondorf had already managed to steady the ship by hiring David Zitelli as their head coach in March, as it has resulted in an eight-game run containing a single loss (to cup winners Niederkorn) and brushed aside any doubts of relegation, confirming safety two weeks ago.

In the knowledge that their target for the season had been achieved, and boosted by their recent run of form, their following game was against Fola Esch. Even though Fola had a lot on the line (potentially their BGL Ligue place), it was a game the Angry Goats were widely expected to win.

That being said, not many would have expected to witness the second-biggest victory of all season in the country. Mondorf’s 6-0 drubbing of Fola has only been bettered by Differdange in 2023/24, when they scored one more against Racing Union upon the resumption of the championship in February.

Due to the end-of-season prize money gradually increasing for every position on the league table, Mondorf technically still had something to play for, and in a congested mid-table pack, their positive goal difference might just be what helps them achieve a top-half finish. But for Fola, the consequences are uncomparably more drastic.

Defeat meant they are now highly unlikely to escape relegation – even a win against Differdange might not suffice, depending on the result of Rosport vs Marisca, which will be played at the same time. Fola also have the worst goal difference across the league, meaning even if they do catch up with UN Käerjéng in terms of points, they will almost certainly still be the ones to end up going down.

What happens to the oldest club of the country is still up in the air, so anyone interested in their fortunes will be able to tune into the last round of games on RTL Live Arena.

As always, the games’ live commentaries, highlights and full video footage are all available on RTL.lu’s Live Arena hub.