The Leuven club announced on Tuesday the decision of the CBAS, the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport. OH Louvain had decided to appeal, before the CBAS, the decision of the Disciplinary Board of the Belgian Football Union to replay this duel once morest the Mechelen club.
The case was argued on Friday before the CBAS, which therefore ruled in favor of OHL. “This is an important precedent for the sport,” commented the Leuven club.
On January 15, due to coronavirus cases among its squad, Mechelen did not travel to Leuven’s Den Dreef although his request to postpone the match was rejected by the schedule manager. Mechelen had announced that two of its goalkeepers were positive, the holder Gaëtan Coucke and Maxime Wenssens, but the latter was considered a hope by the federation, which considered that it was not taken into account for the protocol.
At the time of the game, the Pro League’s Covid protocol stipulated that a game might be postponed if at least seven players with at least 30% playing time or if two core A goalkeepers tested positive.
A few days following this case, the Pro League adapted its protocol.
