Belgium football games fixed?

There are strong indications that the betting mafia have once again pounced upon Belgian football. The football match in the first division between Anderlecht and Sint-Truiden on 26 April could possibly have involved bribery.

According to the magazine Sport/Voetbal a bet of almost 800,000 euro was placed in China on the Anderlecht STVV match, with a strong backing for an Anderlecht victory of three goals. Anderlecht eventually won the game 4-1. Three of the four Anderlecht goals were disputable from a referee’s position.

This season no more than 250,000 euro were put on a match with Belgian competitors in Asia. This is why Asian bookmakers immediately notified Karl Dhont, an expert in a diverse field of betting activities. According to Dhont something is definitely up, with an influx of money similar to the betting scandal involving the Chinese Zheyun Ye between 2004 and 2006. At the time various trainers, goalies and players were threatened by the betting mafia and bribed to ensure certain results on the scoreboard.

New Football Stadium for Brussels

The Brussels municipality of Schaarbeek has landed the new national soccer stadium.
The Prime Minister of the Brussels Region, Charles Piqué presented his government's plans for a new national soccer stadium in Brussels to the Capital's Regional Parliament on Wednesday.

The aim is to make the new stadium the new home of the national team, the Red Devils, and also probably the new home of Anderlecht football club. It will be a multifunctional and seat 60,000.

In typical Belgium fashion ........... The political consensus opens the way for talks with all parties involved including the Belgian Railways, the owners of the land.Investors, too, have already come forward.The new stadium will require up to 3 years study work and won't be ready before 2012 at the earliest.

What a Hoot: Owl Interrupts Finland-Belgium Football Match

Le Hibou Finlandais
Uploaded by Sambabugatti

Yesterday, the Group A Euro 2008 qualifying soccer match between Finland and Belgium at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki was interrupted for more than six minutes by an owl that had flown into the stadium.
The Eurasian Eagle Owl (the largest owl species in the world) swooped around the stadium, alighting on several goal posts, to the delight of the assembled crowd. Finland won the match 2-0.
Good thing it didn't happen at an American football game, somebody would have shot it.