Belgian refereeing is discussed almost every week. The Football Association seems to have understood the message. The collaboration with VAR manager Fredy Fautrel will end and he will be replaced by Dutchman Kevin Blom. There is a good chance that the technical director Bertrand Layec will also have to leave.
At the initiative of Stephanie Forde, operational director of the Referee Department, the referees received a collective pay increase at the end of last year. The referee now earns 2,200 euros per match (+200 euros), while the compensation for the VAR almost doubled (from 450 to 880 euros). It had been 10 years since their wages had been adjusted. “In return, we expect high-quality refereeing and an efficient organization,” said Lorin Parys, CEO of the Pro League. The reality, however, is that the referees have only taken few steps forward in recent months or even rather backwards. The VARs in particular still make too many mistakes. With the most egregious example being the VAR team's miss during Anderlecht-Genk, a match that may have to be replayed. Genk and Club Brugge are legally defending themselves against refereeing errors. That in itself is exceptional.
The Pro League is increasing the pressure on referees. There is a feeling within the football association that a breath of fresh air is necessary. The Referee Department with its many bosses will be shaken up, with the first victim being Fredy Fautrel. The Frenchman had been VAR manager since 2019. Although there are extenuating circumstances - the technology not being the most modern or advanced - the video referee remains a problem. “Where is Fautrel? You don't see him, you don't hear him.” According to our information, Fautrel is no longer welcome in the VAR zone in Tubize. He has an expiring contract and will be replaced by Kevin Blom. The Dutchman was active as a VAR in the Netherlands until 2021 and helped manage matches in the Champions League, supporting top referee Danny Makkelie. During the corona period, Blom briefly worked as a kebab courier. He donated the money he earned to charity.
Changes are also expected at the very top of the Belgian referee pyramid. The intention is that operational director Stephanie Forde will weigh more heavily on the policy. It is no longer a question of if, but rather when, technical director Bertrand Layec will have to leave. The Frenchman is paid generously, while the association has to make significant savings. There has been resentment about Layec for some time, both within the association and at the clubs. At the end of the football season, Bertrand Layec, technical director of refereeing, prepared a presentation showing how well the Belgian referees had performed under his leadership. Each year the figures turned out to be even better than the previous one. He pointed to Lawrence Visser and Erik Lambrechts, who moved up in the international hierarchy. And before the many discussions that existed among football fans and analysts, he liked to refer to 'the gray zone'. A zone in which no errors exist. Layec behaves stubbornly towards the clubs. Layec also exerts his will when appointing referees for certain matches. His position also seems to be partly overlapping with that of the German chairman Herbert Fandel, who, using his contacts, is expected to put Belgian refereeing on the international map.
Source: HLN
