By Samindra Kunti
March 3 – A Belgian top-flight match between KV Oostende vs Waasland-Beveren has been identified in a German TV documentary as showing signs of betting related match-fixing. The new revelations cast what is becoming a growing shadow over Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League.
Last week OH Leuven, another top-flight club, asked UEFA to investigate if there was potential match manipulation linked to gambling patterns in recent matches of the Leuven-based club. Belgian magazine Sport/Voetbalmagazine had revealed that OHL captain Romain Reynaud and goalkeeper Rudy Riou were implicated in betting on their own matches. UEFA will now also monitor OHL’s upcoming matches for any possible irregularities.
Yesterday German broadcasters ARD and WDR screened a documentary wherein suspicious gambling patterns involving the Belgian top-flight encounter between KV Oostende and Waasland-Beveren were highlighted. Betting shops in southern Germany registered big bets on the prediction of a match with three goals or more.
On January 18 KV Oostende hosted Waasland-Beveren at its seaside stadium Albertpark. Oostende has been the revelation of the Belgian domestic season with the club, owned by billionaire businessman Marc Coucke, all but assured of a top six play-off spot. At the other end of the table, Beveren has mostly been involved in a relegation battle.
After 17 seventeen minutes Siege Schrijvers had already scored twice with the hosts pulling back a goal through a strike from Joseph Akpala. The match would finish in a 3-all draw.
On the same day suspicious gambling patterns were also identified in the Dutch top-flight Eredvisie match NEC Nijmegen vs Willem II. Unusually large amounts were bet on a victory for the hosts, and indeed NEC Nijmegen edged the game 1-0.
The concerned betting company informed FIFA of the suspicious patterns. The governing body subsequently opened an investigation into the matter, according to the documentary.
The Belgian FA has denied having knowledge of any investigations.
“To date we have not received any signal that something suspicious happened,” KV Oostende spokesman Bram Keirsebilck told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. “We will wait until the authorities bring us up to date and then cooperate with the investigation. At the moment, this news has come as a complete surprise.”
“If I ever notice manipulation, I will resign straightaway from football,” reacted Waasland-Beveren chairman Dirk Huyck. “We often concede a lot of goals and Oostende score easily. It seems nothing abnormal is going on.”
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