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On Saturday evening, the football match between TOR Deurne Pirates and Los Incas Antwerp ended in a fight with a 1-2 score. After a tough duel, the dolls started dancing. A few days after the incidents, both teams are licking their wounds: “This is reprehensible, something like this should never happen again.”
Monday, February 26, 2024 at 5:07 PM
Deep into the second half, Los Incas took the lead 1-2 on the field of TOR Deurne Pirates. The tension rose and the duels became harder, until the pot suddenly boiled over completely. “Our striker went after a far ball and unintentionally collided hard with the Los Incas goalkeeper,” says Luis Asselberghs, authorized correspondent and spectator at Park Groot Schijn on Saturday. “A number of players then came to ask for advice and there was some pushing and shoving. In no time everyone was on the field: players, but also about 25 supporters from both teams. In addition to the pushing, some serious blows were also thrown. The fight ultimately lasted several minutes. The referee had already decided to end the match, fortunately he did not fall victim to this aggression.”
Ultimately, tempers were calmed without police action. The incident ended without major injuries, but nevertheless they are impressed at TOR Deurne Pirates. Asselberghs: “It is very unfortunate that this had to escalate like this. And to be clear: we both made a mistake, Los Incas and TOR Deurne Pirates. Without wanting to hype it up: what happened on Saturday is reprehensible. We definitely never want to experience this again.”
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READ ALSO. Police respond to brawl during football match, one injured
Small inconvenience
Fayssal Charai, coach of Los Incas Antwerp, also regrets the facts of Saturday evening. However, he does not want to blow up the incidents. “TOR Deurne Pirates and we have the same home base and are friends of each other. For me it was a minor incident, nothing more than that. The boys who came onto the field did so to separate the players, not to fight. There was no hostility. After the match, players from both teams simply shook hands.”
For Los Incas, it is the second time this season that a match has been stopped early. In October, the match on the Turk Sport field was stopped when fans entered the field. “It is a great pity that our positive story has a very negative connotation,” says Charai. “Our team consists of many underprivileged boys, a mix of nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Because of all that negative attention we forget the essence: those boys just want to play football.”
Archive image of Los Incas, in the ’21-’22 season. — © GOYVAERTS/GMAX AGENCY
Sanctions
Both TOR Deurne Pirates and Los Incas can expect sanctions from Voetbal Vlaanderen. A forfeit defeat for both teams is a possibility, as is a fine. “We take this very seriously,” says Nand De Klerck, spokesperson for Voetbal Vlaanderen. “These types of incidents are absolutely not normal. In the event of recidivism, the sanctions can be severe.” For example, Anvers Genclerbirligi was canceled last year by the Disciplinary Committee of Football Flanders after numerous incidents.
READ ALSO. Antwerp club delisted by Voetbal Vlaanderen and player suspended for life after referee received serious blows
Another abandoned match
Another match in the fourth provincial – albeit in a different series – was stopped on Sunday. In Alberta Schilde-Antwerp North, the referee’s final whistle sounded just before half time. With the score 5-0 and after three red cards in a short time, the visitors no longer wanted to continue playing football. They decided to leave the field.
