Belgium splits! Next season, Flemish first nationals will no longer play in Wallonia: “Charleroi is closer to Tienen than Knokke” (Belgian football)

On April 14, KVK Tienen received a Walloon team for the last time in its own Bergé stadium. Tail team Wezet came to visit and the score ended up being 3-3. A point, in what is probably the last competition match between the first national team and a Walloon team.

“I am actually very neutral about the whole situation,” says Arne Naudts, who will move to series rival Dessel Sport next season after two seasons in the Sugar City. “It is said that the distances will become shorter, but it did not matter that much from Tienen: we are faster in Charleroi than, say, Knokke, which will also remain in the series next season.”

“I understand that only one team from our series was in favor of a split and yet they are pushing through their will. And why? To admit as many U23 teams as possible and to get them into 1B through the licenses, just like Club NXT, RSCA and Jong Genk, so transparent.”

Vincent Vanhonsebrouck

Chairman FC Knokke

We hear a similar sound in Knokke, from sporting manager Kristof Arys, who is a cool lover of the division of the first national series into a Flemish and a Walloon series. “I fear that it will be detrimental to the level. The competition is being downsized and it is said that six more teams from the second division will be added, which I fear will not initially ensure a better level.”

Knokke is located in a remote corner of the country and a trip to the other remote corner of Virton was quite an undertaking, but it did have its charms. That is now gone. “And a move to Charleroi or La Louvière was shorter for us than to Belisia in Bilzen,” says Arys. “Also Dessel Sport or THES Sport (in Tessenderlo, ed.) are not at the door for us.”

Arys is joined by its chairman, Vincent Vanhonsebrouck. “Those matches had their charm,” said Vanhonsebrouck. “On Saturday we were in La Louvière and we were received perfectly. It feels like a different country, but I also saw things that made me think: they are doing well and maybe we should try it too. I will miss this in the future. But this is also a typically Belgian phenomenon. I understand that only one team from our series was in favor of a split and yet they enforce their will. And why? To admit as many U23 teams as possible and to get them into 1B through the licenses, just like Club NXT, RSCA and Jong Genk, is all so transparent.”

All Belgians

This division did not have to happen for Geert Cool, the outgoing chairman of Winkel Sport, who hopes to quickly play in the first national team with his new club SK Roeselare. “A national series is always an enrichment. First of all in terms of level. I now wonder where the Walloons, for example, will get their clubs to fill their series. We are two different peoples and live at two speeds, but we are all Belgians and it enriches people to get to know other cultures and other people. And it was good for our French,” Cool laughs.

“The relationship with the Walloons can only be improved through contacts and they are now taking that away from us again and that is a great shame. We are in a country where we need and complement each other and now they are unceremoniously drawing a line through that”

Geert Cool

Outgoing chairman Winkel Sport

“We should all support the Red Devils and now they are pulling it apart again. The relationship with the Walloons can only be improved through contacts and they are now taking that away from us again and that is a great shame. We are in a country where we need and complement each other and now they are unceremoniously drawing a line through it. Walloons are more southern, more Latin and warmer. You feel happy when you have been there and come home again. I always went there to eat something in the area and you felt that hospitality and gratitude. It is incomprehensible that they are now tearing it apart again.”

A small point from the Ardennes

Yet not everyone is sad that football will be played in a Flemish and a Walloon wing from next season. Felix Reuse played more than four seasons in the first national team and appears to be one of the few who thinks the split into a Walloon and Flemish wing is a good thing. “I actually didn’t like playing against a Walloon team. When traveling, the accommodation was generally of little value – we are further ahead in that respect in Flanders – and the football was also different. Less refined and it could even be aggressive at times, I didn’t like that. You also don’t know many of the opposing players and that makes it all a bit less interesting. Give me a fun derby, then you’ll know everyone, you’ll have a chat and it’ll all be more fun and enjoyable. The Flemish series will now ensure that. Unfortunately, I will no longer experience it myself, because I will stop playing football.”

“I actually didn’t like playing against a Walloon team. The accommodation was generally of little quality and the football was also different. Less refined and it could even be aggressive at times”

Felix Reuse

Winkel Sport, stops playing football

The Flemish teams did not have to cross the language border to earn points. Hoogstraten performed the worst in the class this season: the team only achieved a small point on the road in Wallonia. “Eventually that started to come alive. And our coach told us this every time: today we are going to turn the tide. But unfortunately that didn’t work out this season,” said Nick Havermans, permanent fixture at Hoogstraten.

And that is not only the case at Hoogstraten VV. It is noticeable that points were spilled when a Flemish team passed the sign ‘Bienvenue en Wallonie’ on the motorway. Could arbitration have something to do with it? There are stories that in the past the referee was allowed to sit at the board table for the match dinner. “That can sometimes play a role,” laughs Arne Naudts of KVK Tienen. “We lost 2-1 at La Louvière, although there was a smell to their goals at times.”

“But that can of course also happen in Flanders. No, why is it that things run a little slower when we have to play football in Wallonia? Perhaps there are other factors that are decisive for this: we are used to playing on artificial grass, and that is not always the case.”

Luxembourger in Knokke

For a unique view on the matter, we can contact Lucas Prudhomme. The born Luxembourg played for Virton and Club Liège and has been playing football for FC Knokke since this season. He thinks the split is an absolute impoverishment. “I always found Walloon versus Flemish teams interesting duels with considerable tension. They are also two different styles of football and it makes for interesting posters. I regret the decision and think it is anything but a good idea and above all an impoverishment for our football. It is sad that we have now lost this piece of culture and folklore. The Walloon clubs often have ardent fans and that also provides an extra experience on the fields.”

Knokke has optioned Prudhomme and there is a good chance that he will no longer be able to play against clubs from his language area. “That has not yet been determined, a lot can still happen. And 1B is still a national series, I hope to be able to play there again one day.”

“Until last year there was a brass band at Olympic Charleroi that played when a goal was scored. I’m going to miss that folklore, but I definitely won’t miss the long bus ride”

Nick Havermans

Hoogstraten VV

Of course, they do not all have to immediately be promoted to the Challenger Pro League, because the Flemish teams can of course still play against Walloon teams in the Belgian Cup. “That remains nostalgic. A few years ago we played with Hoogstraten against a Walloon provincial team: one goal was three meters higher than the other, the field was not in good condition,… You go back in time exactly fifty years. Fortunately, things are more professional at our level. Although at Olympic Charleroi, until last year, there was a fanfare that played when a goal was scored. I will miss that folklore, but certainly not the long bus ride,” Havermans concludes.