Aalst (The Brussels Morning newspaper): Eendracht Aalst a Belgian football club was denied entry into the first league due to lack of a suitable stadium, forcing them to miss the upcoming season.
Eendracht Aalst can’t play in the next games because they don’t have a good field to play on. The football people in charge said they can’t join the competition because of this issue. Eendracht Aalst was supposed to play in the first league starting in September but because they couldn’t find a good field to play on the football people said they can’t play for now. The club won’t be in the new season of the league and they have some problems to figure out with no clear plan for what’s next.
What challenges are Endracht Aalst facing in securing a stadium?
Eendracht Aalst thought they found a field in Merelbeke to play on but the people in charge there said it’s not safe for football games. They can’t play there and all matches are banned at that location. Basically Eendracht Aalst had problems in Aalst and Merelbeke with finding a good place to play. The city in Aalst said they can’t use the Pierre Cornelis Stadium because they didn’t manage things well. With no field in Aalst and being rejected in Merelbeke they have nowhere to play and can’t join the football season. Because of this the football people decided they can’t be in the competition which is a big setback for the team.
Fans are sad the club won’t play but they’re happy the problem is solved. Kevin Heireman from the fan group says they feel relieved. They want to focus on the future now with new people. Heireman thinks Aalst could continue in a different way maybe with a new name. He says Eendracht is more than just a number. It’s about the vibe, colors and community. They want to bring back what they can and move forward. The city has a plan with Jong Lede that might help. That club can use the Aalst stadium which could be a solution. Eendracht got moved to a lower league because they didn’t have the right papers for the higher leagues. This made another team KS Vlaamse Ardennen also go down. Voetbal Vlaanderen won’t change their mind about this. The boss Luc Ysebaert is not happy. He says they tried really hard to play in the higher league but the rules won’t change.It has been said that it’s a big disappointment for the players and fans. The lower league will start with 15 teams instead of 16.
