Intrigue

Sitcom about a Flemish amateur soccer team, focusing on a few of its members and their loved ones. They are often plagued by the clubhouse's hostile neighbor, the chairman's inappropriate behavior, and their own personality traits.

The life of Oscar 'Kampioen' Crucke (Carry Goossens), the coach of the enthusiasts soccer team F.C. De Kampioenen, is challenged by the team's chairman and owner of the Bomaworst sausage factory Balthasar "the Ball" Boma (Marijn Devalck). The latter leases him the clubhouse as a home for him and his offspring, causing Oscar to be stuck in the middle. Boma also has an eye on his snobbish wife Pascale De Backer (Danni Heylen) who appears to love Oscar but is frustrated that she is not able to move up the ladder due to her husband being an average, simple man. Their marriage is in jeopardy as Pascale gives in to Boma's seduction tricks. Kampioen has got a difficult household as well. Oscar and Pascale are raising their only child, their teenage daughter Bieke (An Swartenbroekx), who is in her late teens and going into her early twenties. Oscar's team is under-performing but Boma wants to move up the local ranks with the team, investing a lot of money in it. Oscar is supported by his players Pico Coppens (Walter Michiels) and Xavier Waterslaeghers (Johny Voners), who are respectively the best and the worst player on his team. While high school teacher Pico's marriage with bookkeeper Doortje Van Hoeck (Ann Tuts) looks rather stable with the couple eventually expecting a child and Doortje giving birth, army Corporal Xavier's marriage to cleaning woman Carmen Vandormael (Loes van den Heuvel) is an unhealthy one. Carmen lays down the law as she has much control over him. On match days the team's neighbor Dimitri De Tremmerie aka DDT (Jacques Vermeire) feels particularly hindered by Kampioen's soccer team. Dimitri is a stingy car mechanic and automobile sales person. A laconic and sarcastic single man, he seemingly does not care about anything but money and his garage windows breaking from a soccer ball. Dimitri runs his business by himself. However, when he no longer can he hires Pico's wife Doortje as his secretary and he feels more obligated to interact with Kampioen and his team. In an act of revenge, Dimitri does not shy away from playing dirty tricks on them as their paths cross much more often.

Oscar Crucke is an innkeeper besides coach of the underachieving enthusiasts' soccer team F.C. De Kampioenen from Emblem, Flanders. Oscar, affectionately called 'Kampioen', is married to Pascale De Backer, a snobbish woman who wants to move up in life. Oscar and Pascale have a teenage daughter Bieke. They rent their cafe Cafe De Kampioen from Balthazar Boma, the team's chairman who owns the sausage factory Bomaworst. Boma challenges his marriage. He shows interest in Pascale while asking the impossible from him as a coach. Oscar is defended and much respected by his players: they are very close despite obvious incompetence and occasional pranks. Forward Pico Coppens is a self-confident man and the best player on the soccer team. Whatever that means. Pico is a politically active high school teacher in technical subjects who repairs TV sets as an extra income. Pico is married to soft hearted bookkeeper Doortje Van Hoeck. Doortje can restrain her husband at times, though. Pico's the best of friends with goalkeeper Xavier Waterslaeghers. Xavier, as a goalkeeper, serves as a weak link in the soccer team, aged 40+. He is an army Corporal, later a Sergeant. He is dictated the law by his wife, Boma's cleaning lady Carmen Vandormael. Carmen pulls the strings while Xavier falls short between the sheets. F.C. De Kampioenen is thwarted by stingy car dealer and mechanic Dimitri De Tremmerie. Dimitri is the neighbor of Oscar, Pascale and Bieke and is referred to by the initials of DDT. A typical anti-hero who swears every now and then and who comes up with nefarious plans, he would not hurt a fly. Dimitri loathes the team but as they collude, his plans to bully are then defused.—KGF Vissers