While Sporting de Charleroi were leading on their lawn against Mechelen (1-0), some of the supporters decided to interrupt the match definitively by launching, for the third time in the game, smoke bombs on the field. Mehdi Bayat, criticized and contested by this minority of “fans”, appeared at the microphone of RTBF after the meeting.
“The worst is that the gesture was premeditated. The Ultras came today to warn the staff and the staff of the club. They told them they were going to do it whether Charleroi won or not. We can’t say we support and do what they did. We fought all week, we are coming out of a defeat in the Belgian Cup which hurt us a lot. Frank Defays and his staff made the players want to go for this victory and that’s what they were doing. We had control of the match despite the deleterious atmosphere they created during the match. They accomplished their plan to the end by stopping the meeting. But why ? What is their goal? They showed their true face. The whole stadium has understood that, unfortunately, some of our supporters, the Ultras in particular, do not support the club.“, explained the president carolo at the microphone of Jeremie Baise.
I’m being blamed for keeping Sporting alive and healthy?
Furious, Mehdi Bayat made a point of specifying that it was not necessary to put all the supporters in the same basket: “There is a minority, notably our Ultras, who are activating propaganda. I’ve been working in Charleroi for 20 years, 10 years fighting for the club from morning to night. The directors of Mechelen congratulated me before the match, telling me that they regretted not having sold a player to be able to balance their balance sheet. They just lost 6 million euros. And I am criticized for managing Charleroi well. I’m being blamed for keeping Sporting alive and healthy? Tonight we were fighting to win this game and they stop it against me? They pissed on the coat of arms. They did it in front of the public, in front of players who were fighting to win“.
Before questioning the regulations, which stipulate that a second interruption means the end of the match and a forfeit score for the team responsible for the facts: “This regulation which gives so much power to the supporters… At some point, you have to take responsibility. They wanted to stop the match and they stopped it. They wanted to show that they had the power, that they were Charleroi“.
A minority of people have decided to hold an entire club hostage
“I can’t step aside“, continued Bayat. I will not abandon all the people who support me. My staff, the people in the club. I can’t leave. I remain the majority shareholder of the club, you have to be realistic. I have always fought for Charleroi. Sporting has been experiencing the best years in its history for 10 years. Sporting has never been so stable, neither financially nor sportingly in its entire history“.
Before concluding : “We are living a vendetta. A minority of people decided to hold an entire club hostage. I can’t fight this. We will have to reflect and take measures to ensure that this kind of action does not happen again. I don’t mind being criticized and saying that Charleroi is having a bad sporting season, but that we let Charleroi lose on the pitch, not in this way“.
