Lokeren's united nations

By Svend Frandsen

Sporting Lokeren St-Niklaas Waasland are a sparkling example of how different cultures can combine to good effect. This modest-sized club have been the revelation of the season so far in the Belgian First Division, and currently lie third, only one point behind RSC Anderlecht and with a realistic chance of claiming a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.

Overseas nucleus
Finishing second would give the club the chance to appear in Europe's top club competition, but Lokeren have established another record already this season as they are the team with the most foreign players. Only one Belgian, midfield player Davy De Beule, has been a regular in the first-choice eleven, with the bulk of the squad made up of players from Iceland and Africa.

Interesting mixture
Such a mix of cultures – in addition, first-choice goalkeeper Mladen Dabanovic is Slovenian – could have given coach Paul Put potential problems, as there are a number of examples of sides with an overreliance on overseas players struggling. However, in Lokeren, the experiment has been a great success so far.

Unexpected harmony
In front of Dabanovic, Lezou Deboey and Mamadou Coulibali of the Ivory Coast have been joined by Guinea's Ibréhima Cone and Arnar Vidarsson of Iceland, with Suad Katana of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Patrice Zéré, another Ivorian, also playing significant roles. In midfield, De Beule has been joined by Rúnar Kristinsson and Arnar Grétarsson, both from Iceland, and the Congolese Papy Kimoto, all of whom have made telling goalscoring contributions. Up front, Sambegou Bangoura of Guinea has struck 16 goals in 26 league games.

Fantastic atmosphere
Coach Put, who took over from Georges Leeskens in summer 2001, has produced a fine blend of complementary talents, as the players are quick to recognise. "The reason behind our success is the fact that we have a fantastic atmosphere," said joint-leading scorer Bamgoura, who is currently the subject of a dispute between Lokeren and R. Standard de Liège over who has ownership of him for next season.

Mutual respect
Bangoura praised the efforts of the Scandinavians in helping to make the African contingent, many of whom are in their early 20s, feel welcome. "We laugh a lot and I am very impressed with what the guys from Iceland are doing for the Africans at the club," he said. "They have so much class and experience and they provide us with the best example: in all circumstances, they remain calm and polite. They even make the effort to talk to us in French! We always feel so welcome around them."

Inspiring presence
For their part, 31-year-old midfield player Grétarsson believes the Icelandic players bring a different attitude to the club. "Players from Iceland have one quality: we are realists and always want to win, so we are very team-oriented," he said. "We come from a country where the young lads who play football are still amateurs and are either studying or working - they never become professionals too soon. When it happens, they are already very mature and I think that shows on the pitch as well."

Season climax
The potent mixture of youthful exuberance and vast experience has combined to good effect so far this season. With seven league games to go and all to play for, Bangoura, Grétarsson and their team-mates will be hoping that their remarkable unity and team spirit can enable Lokeren to finish their spectacular campaign with an achievement to remember.