“This is just sad for Belgian football”: Brian Riemer and Jesper Fredberg about the affair surrounding whether or not to replay Anderlecht-Genk

The discussion about whether or not to replay the top match Anderlecht-Genk (2-1) continues to drag on. The Limburgers’ complaint in penalty gate was rejected, but RC Genk is appealing and is still pushing for a replay. At Anderlecht, Jesper Fredberg and Brian Riemer have their opinion about the whole affair: “An atmosphere is being created in which we look for mistakes.”

On Monday the whole matter seemed to be over. The Referee Department decided that Jan Boterberg and his team – the VAR team during Anderlecht-Genk – had made a human error by not allowing Bryan Heynen’s penalty to be retaken. According to them, it was not a violation of the rules of the game and so a replay did not seem necessary. Anderlecht coach Brian Riemer thought that was a logical decision. “I think that decision saved Belgian football an embarrassing moment,” said Riemer. “I don’t understand why a match should be replayed under those circumstances. In 31 years of the Premier League, a match has never been replayed. Not replaying the match was therefore an important decision for European football and everyone who focuses on it.”

Brian Riemer. — © Isosport

However, that was not included in Genk. The Limburgers appealed – before the Disciplinary Council or before the BAS – and will go to any lengths to get their case. They state that they will continue to fight this blatant error in the interests of Belgian football. This also prompted Jesper Fredberg, the Purple & White’s CEO Sports, to respond.

“I do not comment on the merits of the case,” said Fredberg. “What makes me sad is how this matter is being handled. In my opinion, there should have been a final decision three days after the match so that everyone knew where they stood. At the moment, the referee team is still walking around in uncertainty. Worse still, they are the target of analysts, media and other football people, many of whom immediately used first impressions to condemn them. That’s just sad for Belgian football. In this way we ourselves cause damage to our product. What’s more, we are even a bit of a laughing stock in Europe.”

Jesper Fredberg. — © Isosport

RC Genk itself says that it now hopes for a quick settlement, but it still seems that we have left for a procedural battle. The “human error” that caused the VAR team to fail to notice the RSCA players approaching, is now trying to steer the Limburgers towards a technical procedural error on which the Referee Department is not allowed to judge. It may take some time before a decision is made and that undermines the standings in the Jupiler Pro League. “We are affecting the integrity of our competition,” Riemer also believes. “For me, football is a game where anything can happen in 90 minutes. Good thing, too. Do we want a different kind of football? The VAR has already been introduced and that has changed a lot, sometimes negatively. How far do we want to go? What is the next step? That’s not the football I want.”

No more refs?

Fredberg supports his coach in this. “What makes football interesting is that it is a game of 22 players and 6 refs where mistakes will always be made. Thank God for that. We have to accept that or else we will kill the game. Now we are creating a culture where we look for mistakes. And every time there is a miss or a slip by a referee, we can call for a replay. Well, if we continue like this there won’t be any referees in two years. That is why I advocate tackling this more quickly and professionally and protecting football. No one deserves to go through this long process.”

The question will also be how Genk will react if they soon take advantage of a refereeing error. Fredberg therefore concludes: “We must create an environment in which Belgian referees are given the space to continue to improve. Not the other way around.”

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