Belgium football federation orders replay of Genk-Anderlecht match
The Belgian Football Federation disciplinary committee decided to repeat a match in the first division league between Anderlecht and Genk which was played on December 23. This unusual decision was made to rectify a VAR error and a referee’s mistake in the match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Anderlecht.
The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by Genk, who claimed that they were unfairly disadvantaged due to the poor application of regulations. Genk felt that a penalty in their favor that resulted in a goal was wrongly canceled by the referee. This led to an appeal by the team and the subsequent disciplinary committee ruling.
The controversy revolves around an invasion of the area during a penalty taken by Genk’s Bryan Heynen. After Anderlecht goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel managed to save the penalty, Anderlecht player Yari Verschaeren was found to have invaded the area prematurely, which should have forced the penalty to be retaken, as per regulations.
Initially, the decision was made not to repeat the match by the referee department of the Federation. However, Genk appealed the decision and the disciplinary committee agreed with them. Anderlecht is reportedly considering whether the decision can be appealed to another body.
Genk is now hoping for a resolution on the date for the replay of the match. This decision, although unusual, has put the spotlight on the possible implications for football and how such controversial situations are handled.