Sint-Niklaas (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Voetbal Vlaanderen revoked SKN Sint-Niklaas’s youth license due to rule violations, including listing unqualified trainers and mismanaging player fees (€500). Nand De Klerk from Voetbal Vlaanderen emphasized the need for better management and ethical practices.
According to Nand De Klerk from Voetbal Vlaanderen, football clubs at the interprovincial level must follow strict rules. One key rule is that they need professional trainers. In this case, the club did not have these trainers but still listed their names on match sheets. He mentioned that this was seen as cheating because the club tried to make it look like they were following the rules.
Voetbal Vlaanderen checks all clubs regularly, but this team had already been reported for problems. When they looked closer, they found no professional trainers and also reports of bad behaviour during games and outside of them.
“If you want to play interprovincially as a football club, you have to meet several conditions,”
Said Nand De Klerk.
Can SKN Sint-Niklaas recover from financial violations?
According to the officials, another big issue was the club’s money problems. The fee for players was €500, which is high for an amateur team. They mentioned that this raised questions about how the club was using that money.
Voetbal Vlaanderen found this suspicious because a fee that high should mean good training and proper management, but those were missing. The unclear money use, rule-breaking, and reports of bad behaviour led Voetbal Vlaanderen to take action against the club. They want to make sure sports are fair and ethical.
“A lot of things went wrong at the club: there were no professional trainers and there were cases of aggression”
Nand de Klerck, Football Flanders.
Voetbal Vlaanderen has taken away the youth license from the football club because of problems found in their investigation. They still want to help the club find a way forward. So far, they have met with the club’s representatives twice to discuss possible solutions, but nothing has been decided yet.
According to Voetbal Vlaanderen, the club needs to look at its internal issues first. They suggest bringing in a new club board or adding people who understand football to help guide young players. Voetbal Vlaanderen believes these changes are important for the club’s future and they are ready to assist if the club shows it wants to improve.
SKN Sint-Niklaas plays on sports grounds owned by the city. Officials mentioned that losing their youth license is a big problem, but the club can appeal the decision by Voetbal Vlaanderen. Voetbal Vlaanderen says it is important for clubs to have good management and honesty in youth football. They want to make sure clubs provide a good environment for young players.
