July 14 – Belgium’s Pro League wants to maintain a 16-team league format, despite a domestic sports tribunal that ruled against Waasland-Beveren’s relegation.
At a board of directors meeting, the Pro League has proposed that Waasland-Beveren’s relegation can be enforced but that the arguments for relegation need to be stronger. On July 31, the clubs will vote again in new a general assembly and are expected to ratify the motion that Waasland-Beveren are relegted.
“After a long debate, we have again come to the conclusion that the decision we made at the General Assembly on May 15 is the least bad solution,” said Pro League president Peter Croonen, who also chairs Racing Genk. “We do not see what other option would be better or feasible.”
“To be clear, the decision of May 15 was actually confirmed by the BAS, except for the decision to demote Waasland-Beveren, as the BAS ruled that this was a different treatment than in 1B, with an insufficient motivation to justify the difference.”
In May, the Pro League crowned Brugge champions and condemned Waasland-Beveren to relegation, with one round of matches of the regular season being left uncompleted. The decision followed the league’s move in April to cancel the domestic season because of the coronavirus, sending shockwaves across Europe and invoking the ire of continental governing body UEFA who had asked leagues to remain flexible over restart dates.
Last week, the BAS, the Belgian equivalent of the CAS, overturned the Pro League’s decision to relegate Waasland-Beveren. The league has been plagued by internal power struggles and conflicts of interest, but is intent on maintaining the 16-team format for the top flight.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1735179291labto1735179291ofdlr1735179291owedi1735179291sni@o1735179291fni1735179291