OTHER Anderlecht coach Jérémy Taravel is far from pleased with Adriano Bertaccini's criticism of the late announcement of the lineup. Het Laatste Nieuws reports the coach will summon Bertaccini on Monday. He should not, however, expect any sanction. The club believes a good conversation between the two will suffice and that afterward tensions will be smoothed over. Read more »
OTHER On Sunday Anderlecht must get back to work for an important match, but there will be a few fires to put out in the coming days. Bertaccini, Camara and Cvetkovic spoke to Sporza after the lost cup final and were visibly disappointed and critical. Bertaccini said "Union deserved to win." He felt Anderlecht had hardly any chances and that there were far too many long balls, which Union dealt with comfortably. He noted there was no adjustment from the bench, while adding that the players themselves should have known better in that moment. Read more »
GAMES It is quite possible that Mihajlo Cvetkovic has played his last match for Anderlecht this season. After his red card — and following Anderlecht's appeal — the Serbian has been suspended for three matches, with a fourth match suspended conditionally. A fine of €3,500 was also imposed. Cvetkovic will therefore miss the games against Mechelen, STVV and Union. Read more »
GAMES - OTHER A section of Anderlecht supporters again showed their worst side during the Belgian Cup final. After the match the city of Brussels, owner of the stadium, found that more than 300 seats had been vandalised. There was also an outbreak of arson in one of the stands. "We can understand sporting frustration." Read more »
INTERVIEWS Storm clouds loom over Anderlecht's leadership after the cup final. Owner Marc Coucke refused to comment. Chairman Michael Verschueren did speak, and in blunt terms. "We deserved to lose." Read more »
OTHER César Huerta may once again allow himself to dream a little about the World Cup. The Mexican Anderlecht player is part of the 55-man preliminary squad announced by national coach Javier Aguirre. The 25-year-old Huerta has 25 caps (3 goals), but a troublesome pubalgia kept him sidelined since the end of October. He made his comeback for Anderlecht in early May and in recent matches has come on for just over fifteen minutes each time. Read more »
GAMES Not even a third time (or fourth time if you look further back in time) proved to be the charm. In the Belgian Cup final, Union were too strong, winning 3-1. After Anderlecht fell behind midway through the second half, hope rose with a goal from Cvetkovic, but in extra time Union struck twice in quick succession to clinch the victory. Read more »
OTHER Tomorrow is the day: Anderlecht play the Belgian Cup final. Some 18,511 purple-and-white supporters will follow the local derby against Union at the King Baudouin Stadium. The purple-and-white Fan Village on Eeuwfeestlaan opens at 10:00. There are no concrete plans for a celebration if the result is positive. Read more »
INTERVIEWS Nathan De Cat is fit again, and all of Anderlecht is hoping he will take the team by the hand tomorrow and steer them to victory in the Belgian Cup final. Will that be his farewell gift to Anderlecht? With one year left on his contract, a departure this summer seems almost inevitable. "But fans may still hope I'll stay," he tells Het Nieuwsblad today. Read more »
OTHER The Disciplinary Committee has handed down a ruling on Cvetkovic's suspension. The striker has been given a three-match ban—two matches to be served and one match suspended. Anderlecht, however, will not accept the decision and plans to appeal so that the suspension only takes effect after the cup final the day after tomorrow. In addition to the suspension, a fine of €2,500 has been imposed. Read more »
OTHER Today Devon De Corte celebrates his birthday! He becomes 20 years old and we would like to wish him a happy birthday! Read more »
OTHER Should Thorgan Hazard start for Anderlecht in the cup final? Eight experts—former coaches, ex-players and analysts—give their verdict. Francky Dury is pro-Hazard without hesitation. It's a final, Hazard is fresh and motivated, and Dury believes his experience and figures should count for more than Degreef or Bertaccini. Read more »
