F.c. De Kampioenen

Storyline

Oscar Crucke is an innkeeper besides coach of the underachieving amateur soccer team F.C. De Kampioenen from Emblem, Flanders. Oscar 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 is the best player on the soccer team. Whatever that means. He's 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's an army corporal, later a sergeant, but 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. DDT is a typical anti-hero who swears every now and then and comes up with nefarious plans but who wouldn't hurt a fly. Dimitri loathes the team but as they collude, his plans to bully are then defused.