Share

Belgian federation in UEFA talks over end to its season

The Belgian Football Association (URBSFA) announced on Saturday that it is working with UEFA toward a "constructive" solution regarding the premature end to the Belgian championship.

On Thursday, the Belgian Pro League recommended that the season be declared finished due to the coronavirus pandemic with the present table accepted as final. It became the first European league to propose such a measure, though others could follow.

On Friday, the governing body of European football (UEFA), in a joint statement with the European Club Association and the European Leagues, warned that "abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified".

UEFA threatened to ban all teams from European competitions next season if they did not complete their league season.

The URBSFA released a statement on Saturday saying that its president, Mehdi Bayat, had spoken to the president of the governing body of European football, Aleksander Ceferin.

The statement did not specify the nature of this "jointly" negotiated solution, saying only that the Belgian association would present the UEFA executive committee with its "recommendations for stopping its championship".

The Pro League board's voted unanimously on Thursday to advise its general assembly not to resume the 2019-2020 first division campaign.

Club Brugge, who are 15 points clear with 11 matches to play, would become Belgian champions.

The AGM is expected to ratify this decision on 15 April but its board will present the proposal to UEFA's executive committee.

The Belgian federation, which will also present its recommendations and aims to "preserve Belgium's European places in the 2020-2021 season", said the statement.

The statement also reminded UEFA that it had called for solidarity within European football during the coronavirus crisis and said Bayat had "advocated a flexible approach to this concept, which allows the specific circumstances of each league to be taken into account."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE