On Monday evening during the second half of Beerschot-Genk, Théo Bongonda got a red card. The flank attacker made a backward swinging movement towards Frédéric Frans, who held him. The Beerschot defender was slightly hit in the back of the head.
Yesterday, the public prosecutor of the KBVB imposed an amicable settlement on Genk and Bongonda after the incident. This amounts to a suspension of 4 days (of which 3 effective) and a fine of 3,500 euros (3,000 effective).
The 24-year-old footballer would therefore miss the home games against KV Mechelen (September 20) and KV Oostende (September 28) and the transfer to Waasland-Beveren (October 3). But Genk and Bongonda have refused that proposal.
This morning club attorney Jochem Martens and Bongonda appeared digitally before the Disciplinary Committee. There they gave their version of the facts.
“Bongonda wanted to break free from Frans’ dominant grip and therefore made a backward torsion movement, in which the body rotates around its vertical axis by a pulling movement. It was not a deliberate blow to the opponent,” argues Martens.
The Genk winger contacted Frans and said he was not hit: “After the red card I apologized to the ref and Frans I called. He confirmed that I had not hit him. I was shocked by the penalty. . “
Lawyer Martens asked to impose a conditional sanction on Bongonda at most. “The consequences of the red card are already big enough. Beerschot was able to score two more goals afterwards and that also had a major impact on the entire club KRC Genk.” After all, the 5-2 defeat led to the dismissal of trainer Hannes Wolf.
The judgment of the Disciplinary Committee will follow today.
