Vanaken: VAR Controversy – Club’s Angry Reaction

Although it was only the first competition match of 2026 and Club had finished the previous calendar year with 9 out of 9, there was still quite a bit of pressure on the Bruges kettle. A few days earlier, Blauw-Zwart had already been eliminated from the cup. Moreover, they still had an account open with the PhD candidate after the bitter defeat in the first match.

Nevertheless, Club started the game moderately. However, halfway through the first half, Romeo Vermant was able to open the score. And when Hugo Vetlesen made it 2-0 before half-time, the match seemed already over. But Christos Tzolis failed to close the books completely. And in the last half hour, La Louvière actually achieved a spectacular comeback.

READ ALSO:
VAR, red card and collapse: Club Brugge has a horror evening

VAR does intervene this time

With two goals, the Wolves fought back and in the final minutes Pape Moussa Fall actually gave the Hainauts a six out of six against the vice-champions. La Louvière thus managed to make optimal use of its numerical superiority. Just before half time, the people of Bruges were left with one man less after Ordoñez pulled the emergency brake on Jerry Afriyie.

The Ecuadorian international initially seemed to get off with a yellow card, but that was excluded from the VAR. Unlike a day earlier in the cup match between Anderlecht and AA Gent, when Marco Kana only received a yellow card in a similar phase, the video ref intervened this time. The referee was called to the screen and converted the yellow card into a red one.

Justified exclusion for the last man

A decision with far-reaching consequences for the West Flemish people. “I think I could have overtaken Afriyie. I also had the impression that Joel and Afriyie fought together, and that the attacker entered the game with dangerous intentions,” Kyriani Sabbe expressed his doubts about the arbitration decision at half-time. Captain Hans Vanaken subsequently accepted the exclusion. “I haven’t seen the images yet, but on the field Ordoñez seemed to be the last man. I don’t know what happens before that in the game. But then he pulls him down and if he is the last man, it is red,” said the playmaker in front of the cameras of DAZN.