On Wednesday, the Belgian government declared the suspension of all sporting competitions, effectively ending the country’s football season as preferred by most clubs.
Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes says that all sporting activities in the country will be discontinued until 31 July because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was accepted by the Pro League, the Belgian club association, at its general assembly scheduled for May 15, which will review the end of the season terms and conditions.”
If the league is declared over, Club Brugge, which had 15 points clear with 11 matches to play, will become Belgian champion.
They extended the ban on all recreational and professional sports practices in Belgium until 31 July. The decision means the football league will virtually not be able to survive, nor will the leagues in other sports, said Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes on Wednesday.
The Belgian Football Federation must immediately end the competition, as will the Netherlands and France. They did not name a champion in the Netherlands and it is PSG in France, although it will be determined by the Belgians on 15 May.
Football has been on hold in Belgium since March, leaving one round of regular fixtures remaining before its playoff stage.
In early April, the board of directors of the Pro League proposed that the season be brought to an early close with champions crowned by runaway leaders Club Brugge. The decision had to be brought before a club’s general assembly.
The vote was postponed late last month with the clubs voting “by a very significant margin” to wait for more instructions from the government.
8300 people have died in Belgium, out of the 11.5 million coronavirus population, and it seems like the government does not plan to directly reduce sport-related interventions until mid-summer.
Industrial facilities and most supermarkets, however, started functioning on Monday, as well as public transport.
