Riot in amateur football: KNVB puts Barendrecht out of play-offs after deliberately lost duel | Football

Barendrecht led 3-1 against GVVV in the 84th minute last Saturday. When seeing the results on the other fields, Barendrecht could only reach the play-offs for promotion to the Second Division by losing. Regardless of the result at sports park De Bongerd, GVVV was already certain of that competition.

Barendrecht coach Leen van Steensel then told GVVV coach Gery Vink that his players would deliberately let it go in the remaining minutes. “Well, and then they suddenly gave us free passage”, Vink told after the game the Gelderlander.

Barendrecht gave away three goals in a few minutes and it became 3-4 for GVVV. GVVV’s goals fell in a curious way, those present tell NU.nl when asked. The players of Barendrecht barely moved and the goalkeeper of Barendrecht also let it run.

Images of one of the three goals were shared via GVVV’s Instagram account. It shows how GVVV striker Byron Burgering scores one of his three goals without opposition. Keeper Bradly van der Meer van Barendrecht conspicuously dives into the wrong corner. Immediately afterwards he congratulates Burgering.

It was no coincidence that Burgering scored three times. The Barendrecht players had approached him because he could still become the top scorer of the Derde Divisie. Burgering felt no guilt for having contributed to his opponent’s deliberate defeat. “I play for GVVV to score goals, but it is bizarre.”

Barendrecht admitted afterwards that it had deliberately lost the game. The South Hollanders felt that they could not be blamed, because they would like to promote to the Second Division, the highest amateur level.

The club believes that Barendrecht could only enter the play-offs in the final phase in the event of a defeat, a flaw in the rules of the KNVB. Three period champions from both the Derde Divisie on Saturday and the Derde Divisie on Sunday and two second chances from the Tweede Divisie will participate in the play-offs.

The flaw is as follows: due to the defeat of Barendrecht, GVVV became the replacement period champion in the third period of the Derde Divisie Saturday, behind the already promoted champion ACV Assen. GVVV alone already had a replacement period title in its pocket, the one from the second period. That period title therefore moved to number three in the final standings. And that was Barendrecht.

Sparta Nijkerk felt badly duped. The club was in pole position at the start of the last matchday to take over the third period title from ACV, but got stuck at 1-1 against Staphorst. That seemed to be enough for Barendrecht-GVVV with a few minutes to go for a place in the play-offs, were it not for the fact that Barendrecht subsequently lost intentionally.

The players of Sparta Nijkerk reacted furiously. Chairman Johan Evers lodged a protest with the KNVB after he was called by an unknown spectator at Barendrecht-GVVV on the Saturday afternoon in question. “He said it was a disgrace what happened before his eyes,” he told it AD.

To the anger of the clubs, the KNVB disciplinary committee took nine days to reach a verdict. That followed Monday night. Barendrecht is deducted four points, as a result of which the club misses out on the play-offs. GVVV goes completely free.

Remarkably enough, not Sparta Nijkerk, but SteDoCo is now allowed to enter the play-offs as replacement period champion. Because of the points penalty for Barendrecht, SteDoCo is the new number three in the final ranking. Barendrecht dropped to fifth place.

The verdict is irrevocable: Barendrecht does not appeal “despite a double standard”, also in order not to further hinder the continuation of the playoffs. Sparta Nijkerk is also not protesting, chairman Johan Evers told NU.nl.

The play-offs had already started on Wednesday. Due to the riot, SteDoCo will start the playoffs next Wednesday. That club will meet second chance TEC in the first round, which has been in the waiting room for more than a week. The other three quarter-finals have already been completed. Because the KNVB did not come up with the match schedule otherwise, the finals have been postponed by a week.

It does not cause any problems for SteDoCo. After the last competition match on May 27, coach Rick Adjei’s team continued to train, because they had taken this statement into account.

“This gives a double feeling,” chairman Jan den Hartog said to NU.nl shortly after the ruling. “We find it annoying that we are going into the playoffs on someone else’s back, but this has made the regulations of the KNVB possible. The players reacted enthusiastically when they just heard the statement from me along the training field.” Only two players are on vacation this week.