Racing Genk struggled in the qualifiers for the Champions League and Europa League. They only reached the group stage of the Conference League after a penalty shootout. In the Jupiler Pro League, Genk started with a modest 8 out of 15 points. This is concerning for a team with considerable quality.
“Our dream was the Champions League. That’s what we hoped for. The Europa League was something we considered achievable. I believe we should have advanced against Servette and Olympiacos. Europa League was within our reach, so it’s disappointing. It hurts,” said Croonen.
There was relief after qualifying for the Conference League. “I’m glad we managed to qualify in the Conference League against Adana, despite challenging circumstances.”
“I consider it a great competition where we can have sporting ambitions. Our goal was to reach the group stage in Europe, although we had hoped for the Europa League. Nevertheless, we have a good group,” said Genk’s chairman. Fiorentina, Ferencváros, and Čukarički were drawn in their group.
Financially, Genk is still in a good position. “How much do we expect to earn? It will be between 4 and 6 million euros. The Europa League meant 10 million euros, and the Champions League was over 25 million euros. So, there are significant differences.”
