In football, this is unheard of in the Belgian championship. RWDM and EUPEN will finish their match interrupted on Sunday by some Brussels supporters. With six minutes of play remaining. Kick-off at 3 p.m., we resume the match where we left off
Exactly in the 85th minute. Moment when the match was stopped by the referee. End of the match probably around 3:10 p.m. at worst. The last 5 minutes of the match will be played behind closed doors, without an audience at the Edmond Machtens stadium in Molenbeek. To this is also added a few minutes of additional time, as required by the regulations of the Belgian Union.
The players lined up will be the same 22 who were on the pitch on Sunday at the time of the interruption. But special feature: both teams will be able to modify the names of the players who appear on the match sheet. It has no impact since the two coaches had already made all their changes when the referee called stop. On the other hand, if a player were to get injured between now and 3 p.m., his team would be forced to line up outnumbered.
The match will resume with a free kick for Eupen near the halfway line. As a reminder, Eupen leads 0-1 at the end of the match which counts for the 21st day of the championship.
A question arises on a football level: how do we prepare, mentally and especially physically, for a match of this importance which will only last a maximum of ten minutes, additional time included? the former RWDM physical trainer, Frédéric Renotte, explains to Viva Brussels what tactics to adopt: “there are players who are more explosive, brawling, nervous. There are player profiles who need minutes to get into a match, or not. I would prepare them mentally in an explosive, over-motivated way. It’s conditioning, it’s a time break“.
An unprofitable match for the Brussels club
The bill will be steep. As we recall, the match was suspended following firecrackers thrown by Molenbeek supporters on the pitch, unhappy with the performance of their team.
Consequence: 50,000 euros fine for Molenbeek. Other sanctions could follow, announces La Capitale.
You must then pay the travel costs from Eupen. It is the RWDM which is responsible for this for an amount still unknown.
For these few minutes of the match, referees are also needed. They are paid like a normal match, regardless of the playing time. +5,000 euros to be released for the RWDM.
Who says match, says safety. Even behind closed doors. A police force will be mobilized and stewards will also be present in the stadium.
And that’s without counting television production costs. Around 30 minutes of broadcast, for only a few minutes of match. Result: 20,000 euros to go out, or 4,000 euros per minute of play.
► Interview with Frédéric Renotte, former RWDM physical trainer, by Viva Bruxelles.
A.C.
