Pierre François gives Patro’s lawsuit against RBFA little chance: “You don’t force promotion to professional league in a mini-tournament on two weekends” | Amateur sports ravaged by corona

Lawyer Walter Van Steenbrugge received a mandate from the club involved Patro Eisden and the 46 professional football players from Eerste Nationale to summon the football association to appear before the court of first instance in Brussels: “In October last year, a ministerial decision allowed professional athletes to opt out of their profession. to practice. That is allowed in 1A and 1B, but not in the first national according to the association. We think that this distinction cannot be justified ”, is Van Steenbrugge’s argument. “Because the association has canceled the amateur leagues, the pros are also losing income and their trading value is shrinking.”

According to Van Steenbrugge, Patro and co. also presented a B-plan to the association: “A form of mini-competition for clubs that are willing to play for promotion to 1B. That is a valid alternative, but the union has categorically rejected it. They have stopped everything, and that is a serious blow to the bill. ” Van Steenbrugge and the 46 professional players are going to demand “hefty compensation”.

Pierre François, CEO of the Pro League, emphasized speaking in personal name in a response to the lawsuit, which could also affect 1B: “I have two concerns. Today amateur competitions are prohibited. Just because a player has a professional contract (in an amateur series, ed.) Does not mean that the league is also professional. There is a difference between a professional contract and participating in a professional competition. One possible purpose of the indictment is promotion. Without disparaging the initiative, I do think that participating in a professional competition through sports promotion is not possible through a mini-tournament that takes place over two weekends. The regulations provide that (in this corona year, ed.) At least 50% of the normal competition must be completed in order to appoint a PhD candidate. I don’t really see how you can change that halfway through the season. ”

Van Steenbrugge has a different line of reasoning: “We do not base ourselves on the label that the football association attaches to its series, but on the statute in the 1978 Act on paid sportsmen and the ministerial decision in the corona pandemic. You simply cannot explain that the union says that what is allowed for one professional, is not allowed for another professional. At the first hearing we will ask the judge to impose interim measures that limit the damage for the pros who are not allowed to play. ”