Rapprochement between Belgian duo
Friday, October 9, 2009
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Board members of RSC Anderlecht and R. Standard de Liège have met to bring an end to recently soured relations between the two Belgian clubs with a symbolic handshake and exchange of shirts.
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Board members of RSC Anderlecht and R. Standard de Liège have met to bring an end to recently soured relations between the two Belgian clubs with a symbolic handshake and an exchange of team shirts.
Witsel sanction
Ill feeling between UEFA Champions League challengers Standard and UEFA Europa League contenders Anderlecht stems, in particular, from their Eerste Klasse encounter on 30 August when Standard's Axel Witsel broke Marcin Wasilewski's leg and was subsequently handed an eight-match domestic ban.
Fair play and friendship
Les Mauves et Blancs chairman Roger Vanden Stock and Standard excecutive chairman Lucien D'Onofrio came together at the Hélécine, or Heylissem, Castle – equidistant from the clubs' respective stadiums – to mark their accord. "This symbolic act is the result of our absolute will to get Belgian football to the top again," read an Anderlecht statement. Vanden Stock added: "Fair play and friendship, that is what we want to establish. We will sit around the table to see how we can co-operate. The most important thing is that the fans stick to the fair play message. We have to reconcile our supporters with each other."