by sussexpob » Sun Apr 14, 2024 1:34 pm
God Bless the corruption in Belgian Football.
Christian Burgess was sent of a couple of weeks ago for a ridiculous red card in a match v Genk. Attempting to take a throw on deep in injury time with Union 2-1 down, the Genk striker wanting to waste time decided to sprint to Burgess and attempt to block the throw coming in by standing on the line where Burgess was lining up. Burgess, not wanting to waste time, threw it in with the Genk player then jumping a metre of the ground to block the ball... the ball then hit him square in the face, and the referee sent off Burgess for violent conduct. The Genk player, on a yellow, was not booked for time wasting or purposefully prevent the quick throw. Everyone in the Belgian press complained of a grave misjustice.
After the game, a disciplinary hearing quashed the red card on the Monday, a decision that was made without inviting the club or player to the hearing. The Belgian FA, not happy with its independent decision panel, appealled this decision asking for a 3 game ban (crazy in itself, as the panel had quashed a 1 game ban). Burgess, who was not in attendence, then received the original letter informing him of his automatic ban for a red card from the FA, issued after the hearing of his ban had been quashed, and which no longer applied. At no stage in the next 6 days did the Belgian FA inform him of the fact his ban had been quashed.
Union then played Cercle with Burgess watching in the stands serving his phantom ban. During the game, the Belgian FA released a press release expressing shock that in pre-match interviews, Union players and managers had referenced him being banned, and stating that his ban was under appeal with the player eligible to play that week. There is a funny video of our keeper, Antony Moris, being told of it after the game in an interview and losing the plot.
Cut to this week after the Cercle game, and the Belgian FA then said in lieu of a decision concerning his ban, his original ban of one game would have to stand. This was totally wrong, and still no reference was made to the tribunal that had acquitted him. Union, having only been told of his ban for Cercle then expressed puzzlement that not only had the FA broke their own rules and were acting against the independent tribunals decisions, but if he had been banned for one game, then the only documentation referring to it officially was from the FA for that Cercle game he missed. Essentially, he had served his ban if there was one, end of discussion.
To cut a long epic short, the FA then claimed his three game ban being appealed applied before the case disproved the FAs case, which is flattly illegal. Union served the FA notice of legal action, and as per Belgian law, the instant preliminary hearing required to allow a legal case to progress found huge problems with the FAs position, ones that are only explainable in purposeful actions.
No sooner had the court asked the FA explain themselves, that the tribunal magically became decided .... although seeing as though all the Belgian FA legal team were in court, its quite obvious that no tribunal had taken place. It seems that it had taken place days before, and had once again affirmed Burgess' ban being quashed. So the Belgian FA had essentially gone bandit to make sure Burgess was missing at least 2 games.
The sh*t will now hit the fan, but this is the 4th dubious case where the FA have done this before teams play Anderlecht. We already had the result of Genk V Anderlecht overturned in a court because the referee gave a goal by VAR while his discussions with his team proved he had noticed an infringement by Anderlecht, but informed the goal could be given regardless. I think that referee was fired. I hope Union see the court case out. Frankly bored of the consistent bias and unquestionably tainted refereeing decisions when ever we play a big Flemish club. Always from the same two referees who happened to be from Brugge and Antwerp respectively. And then all referees making sure Anderlecht always win
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And a hat and bra to you too, my good sirs!