By Samindra Kunti
June 17 – The Belgian National Study Commission has approved a new league format that will be introduced in the 2016/17 season. Only 24 clubs will continue to play professional football with 16 clubs in the top-flight and eight clubs in the second division.
“This is a historical decision,” said Belgian FA president François De Keersmaecker (pictured) to local media. “The last reform was about the implementation of the play-offs. This is first and foremost a solution for the problems in the second division, where it’s been said for years that it’s difficult to survive.”
“And there is a separation of professional and amateur football, with amateur football in large parts regionalized,” added De Keersmaecker.
In its current format 18 clubs make up the second division, but this number will be trimmed down to just eight with the aim of more sustainability in the league. Those eight clubs will be subject to rigid financial conditions if they want to be a part of the closed circuit of Belgian professional football.
De Keersmaecker rejects the notion that amateur football will be forgotten. “You have to become champions [to promote to the professional league],” said De Keersmaecker. “But there a number of licensing requirements, like the number of seats [in the stadium] and the illumination in the stadium. That’s been fiercely debated.”
The new league format wants to protect professional football and integrate amateur football more. The Pro League is wary for possible lawsuits.
In May newly promoted club Union Saint-Gilloise wrote an open letter to UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino asking the support of Europe’s football governing body in protest against the new reform.
“For the two previous seasons – that we spent in the third division – there will be an average scale of 19 points,” wrote Union Saint-Gilloise club director Jean-Marie Philips. “That will almost irreversibly mean our demotion to the third division. Moreover, I remember clearly that the UEFA statutes state that relegation should be calculated on the results of a club during the last season.”
Third-divsion club Beerschot-Wilrijk immediately commenced legal summary proceedings agains the Belgian FA when the new league format was officially approved. Beerschot deemed the plan ‘in conflict with FIFA and UEFA regulations.’ The club also launched an official complaint with local competition authorities.
“The proposal is that three clubs from the third division would promote to the first amateur division, but that is still the third division,” complained the club. “All other clubs would be relegated to the second amateur division. We don’t accept that. We have invested heavily to be able to gain promotion to the second division this season.”
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