Verbist: "They can play hard"

Referee Johan Verbist has to lead the first test game between Anderlecht and Standard this Thursday. Verbist realises this is not going to be an easy game to lead.

Olivier Deschacht asked for an adult referee who dears to lead a game in the English way. “This will all depend on the players themselves,” Verbist reacts. “If they keep it fair, I won’t have to pull out any yellow cards. But of course they will be nervous, if you see what’s at stake. And I take that into account. So they can play hard, as long as it’s fair.”