Hein Vanhaezebrouck is an altar boy. At least, when we compare him to Stijn Stijnen, the coach of Patro Eisden, who is fighting for promotion to D1A. Stijnen has just been suspended for six matches by the Belgian Union Disciplinary Committee for slapping his brother Steven, who threw a ball onto the field for trying to gain time against Beveren.
Cristiano consoles Stijnen after Portugal’s 4-0 against Belgium. Not for the two goals he scored, but for the reception by the public and the press after his clumsy declaration. ©Belga
Stijn claims that it was a slap “in a family setting”. An explanation which made the members of the Commission laugh, who took the opportunity to impose on him all the suspended sentences that he risked in the event of a relapse. In March, in the derby against the Genk U23s, he notably declared that the match delegate was walking around “as if he were a dictator”. In November 2023, he told the 4th referee: “I know where to find you, even in the players’ corridor. Monday your career is over”.
It was he who, from an anonymous account, criticized his competitor De Vlieger in Bruges.
As a player, Stijnen was already a special case. Before a Portugal – Belgium, he was tricked by a Belgian journalist by confirming that all means were good to stop Ronaldo, even injuring him after two minutes of play. For a few days, Stijnen was Portugal’s number 1 enemy . Ronaldo responded with his feet by scoring two goals (final score 4-0) before consoling him at the end of the match.
And Stijnen is also the guy who, from an anonymous Facebook account, criticized his competitors at Club Bruges – Colin Coosemans and especially Geert De Vlieger – on social networks, which earned him his C4. Here too, his brother was supposedly the culprit.
Assisted by Luc Nilis, Stijnen does a good job in the minors’ club. With all respect for his colleagues Dirk Kuyt (Beerschot), Timmy Simons (Dender), Stephen Bould (Lommel), Hans Somers (Deinze) or Vincent Euvrard (Zulte Waregem), the former Bruges goalkeeper must be the most passionate of all D1B coaches. He is determined to succeed as a coach and he wants the Patro to play for the first time in its history in D1A. But in his enthusiasm, Stijnen goes beyond the limits.
Just like Beerschot, his team is not ready for D1A. But if he manages – from the stand, where he will have to bite his nails for six matches – to achieve the feat by rising among the big guys, he promises us a spectacle in the few square meters of his neutral zone. The D1A referees have already been informed.
2024-04-15 13:54:00
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