Amateur football has been on hold for weeks and could not restart until mid-January at the earliest. Minister Ben Weyts wants to make an exception for the clubs that are still in the Belgian Cup, whose 1 / 16th finals will be played on 9 and 10 January. The clubs themselves are not really enthusiastic.
“In the beginning we were happy with our draw”, says Wendy De Wit, the chairman of Thes Sport (1st national / 1st amateur). “A derby against Genk, the top club from Limburg. There was already a lot of experience and we had more than 500 requests from eaters. But then corona flared up again and it became a different story.”
Minister Weyts puts the ball in the camp of Voetbal Vlaanderen, but according to De Wit the problem is that he looks too much at the situation from the perspective of the professional clubs. “We don’t have the same resources. It would cost us tens of thousands of euros for 1 match.”
“It costs a lot of money to get matches corona proof. The tests alone are a few thousand euros. We also have to train for 4 weeks for 1 match, which means that we have to pay 20 players and a full technical staff for that period.”
“On the other hand, we have no income. We have no TV money or transfer money. We live off spectators and our canteen. But all of that has come to a standstill, while the fixed costs continue to run.”
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Several amateur clubs have already gathered to knock on the door of Voetbal Vlaanderen. There is a new meeting on Monday, so there must be more clarity.
“You have to ask yourself: is that one match worth putting you into debt? No, even if it is a derby. You will also miss the experience, because there are no spectators, you cannot get your sponsors in the put picture, … “
“The players will understand that. We have a realistic group. They also know that the clubs at this level have to survive this storm, that we have to continue financially. Next season there will be a new perspective.”
“If they oblige us to play anyway, we hope for compensation. Otherwise we are throwing the money away. I also think it is quiet from the football association. During the first lockdown we did not have to pay any association contributions – 24,000 euros after all. per year for us – now we don’t hear anything. We just keep paying, but get nothing in return. “
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