The final day of the regular competition is scheduled to be held today and tomorrow. Strange things can always happen on closing day, just as if they were agreed upon. This was the case at Germinal Ekeren-KV Mechelen in 1991. Then we had the Salon draw which both teams were satisfied with.
Since the disgrace of Gijon, all the final round matches are played at the same time (or at least the matches linked together). However, even in this case, all the elements are there to kill the match and then you can have a parlor draw, which is an agreed-upon draw without actually fighting.
This does not have to be agreed in advance, as happened with Germinal Ekeren-KV Mechelen on the final day of the competition in the 1990-91 season.
Both teams knew exactly what they needed beforehand: KVM were guaranteed second place with a draw, and Germinal Ekeren needed a point to finish fifth and reach European football. Ideal conditions for salon painting.
This was confirmed by KVM striker Cisse Severeyns in that match. When he hears the word drawing parlor, the right bell rings immediately. “I actually spontaneously think of Germinal Ekeren-KV Mechelen, when I was playing at KV Mechelen.”
Nothing was really agreed upon. It's not like we called each other, at all.
Sissy Severins
“That match ended the way it started and everyone was really happy about it,” says Severins on our Fishback podcast. “It doesn't mean that anything was agreed in advance. It was never said in the dressing room that we would draw.”
The attacker explains how something like this could grow. “When you test the pitch, you see an opponent you get along well with and you talk to him. It's not like you say: 'We'll let the game end 0-0 today,' because it's difficult to say that in advance.”
But it ended in a 0-0 draw in a match that did not have many chances. However, Severins does not believe this constitutes match-fixing. “No, not really, because nothing was ever agreed upon. Not that we contacted each other, at all. Plus: there wasn't any financial connection to it either.”
Financially there was nothing attached to it, but athletically there was. At KV Mechelen, one man threatened to put an end to things: Marc Wilmots. He would move to Standard after that season and Standard benefited from the defeat of Germinal Ekeren.
Wilmots went looking for a goal, and this did not please Germinal defender Ernie Brandts. Wilmots sent him off the field. Because of this injury, Wilmots missed the first matches of the following season.
(Read more below the video)
“It seems like everyone was satisfied at some point?”
However, it was clear on the pitch that both teams were not giving their best. CCommentator Frank Rice did not hide what he saw on the field: “It is clear that both teams are satisfied with one point, and you know why.”
Frank Rice also did not hesitate in his post-match interview with Germinal player Joel Bartholomewsen:
- Frank Rice: “Joel Bartholomewson, it seems everyone was satisfied at some point?”
- Joel Bartholomewsen: “It's always difficult to play 0-0 in football.”
- Frank Rice: “It worked, didn't it!”
- Joel Bartholomewsen: “Yes, of course it worked, but the risks were too high to make it a good match today.”
About a month later it became known that Bartholomeussen replaced Germinal Ekeren with KV Mechelen.
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