The fallout from Genk and Westerlo’s farcical Belgian Pro League draw continues to rumble on.
The two teams faced off in the final match of the regular season, and with the game 1-1 and all other matches finished, it became clear that a draw would secure both clubs their goals.
A point would secure Genk a championship round spot, and make sure Westerlo avoided relegation.
In the aftermath Westerlo manager Rik De Mil was dismissed for ‘unsporting behaviour’ and it seems the Belgian football association agreed with the verdict.
After handing out €1,000 fines to all 22 players on the pitch, the Belgian public prosecutor’s office said in a statement: “The match was frozen by both teams in the last five minutes of the added time, which amounted to a total of six minutes.
“What happened then is classified by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office as blatant cheating in which spectators, other teams from the series and neutral football fans were simply cheated.
“The game of football was not played fairly and this shabby display did not benefit the image of Belgian football and by extension the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Pro League.”
Both teams and coaches have been summoned to the Professional Football Disciplinary Committee and a three-match ban has been requested for both managers.
The financial penalties may seem small for professional footballers, but Nieuwsblad explains that the current rules don’t allow for harsher punishments unless definitive match-fixing has taken place.
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