Anderlecht and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of the Belgian Football Union debated on Tuesday on appeal before the disciplinary council the responsibility of clubs in the event of excesses by supporters.
The Brussels club has appealed a match behind closed doors first inflicted in first instance following the events of the Clasico on December 7, in the round of 16 of the Belgian Cup. Both camps of supporters had slipped, throwing chairs and pyrotechnic devices. Anderlecht, however, believes that it has done everything possible to avoid these excesses. The federal prosecutor’s office refers to the regulation.
Anderlecht wanted to force a new approach during the debates. The Brussels club did not accept the closed session. Lawyers Gregory Ernes and Sheena Belmans objected to the principle, called strict liability, under which clubs are responsible for the bad behavior of their supporters.
The current way of working, with sanctions against clubs, is, according to lawyers, not effective in changing the behavior of supporters. According to them, matches behind closed doors encourage violence, due to accumulated frustrations. “The clubs cannot take all the measures,” insisted Belmans.
Gregory Ernes argued that the federal prosecutor’s office had not conducted a sufficient investigation: “Even five months after the date of the events, the file is not complete.”
The federal prosecutor’s office had no choice but to refer to the federal regulations, signed by all the clubs. He requests confirmation of the decision of the disciplinary committee, which also provides for a fine of 7,500 euros. The decision will be made as soon as possible.
The two clubs had meanwhile agreed to no longer allow their away supporters in their respective confrontations, at least until the end of the 2024/2025 season.
