By Samindra Kunti
April 25 – Anderlecht’s Belgian title campaign turned into chaos in the playoffs at the weekend as players argued on the pitch and a farcical 4-2 defeat at KV Oostende led to fans rioting.
After a mediocre regular season Anderlecht had commenced the play-offs, grouping the six highest ranked Belgian clubs, well with ten points out of a possible twelve. Anderlecht were battling it out with defending champions AA Gent and arch rivals Club Brugge for top spot.
But the title aspirations of the Brussels-based club were dealt a severe blow with the 4-2 loss at seaside club KV Oostende. Anderlecht performed poorly with several players openly quarreling on the pitch.
When Yassine El Ghanassy scored Oostende’s fourth goal tensions boiled over in the away section of the ground with Anderlecht fans fighting among themselves. A number of fans also invaded the pitch.
Referee Wim Smet decided to send the players back to the dressing room as the match was suspended for several minutes. Anderlecht captain Silvio Proto then addressed his fans and asked them to calm down.
The position of Anderlecht coach Besnik Hasi is increasingly becoming untenable. A lack of consistency and key players playing below par have thwarted Anderlecht for much of the season.
Club Brugge lead the Jupiler Pro League play-offs with 41 points, Anderlecht and AA Gent are joint-second on 38 points. Five matches remain to decide who will succeed AA Gent as Belgian champions.
Next weekend Anderlecht host AA Gent. The behaviour of players and fans will be under close scrutiny.
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