The Professional Refereeing Department (PRD) will say goodbye to Bertrand Layec at the end of this season. Behind the scenes, the search for a successor for the Frenchman is already in full swing. The new technical director of the referees will also almost certainly be a foreigner.
Peter Willems, the new director of the PRD, addressed the press for the first time before the start of the play-offs. The former CEO of OH Leuven already explained that finding a successor for Bertrand Layec would be one of his first and most important tasks. That search has intensified in recent days. The Football Association will soon publish a vacancy for a new technical director.
There is a good chance that the football association will opt for a foreigner again after Layec. One of the requirements in the vacancy is ‘extensive experience as a referee at national and international level’. The Belgians who meet that requirement can be counted on one hand. According to our information, Frank De Bleeckere is not eligible. A foreign technical director has the advantage that he/she is not concerned about possible community conflicts. Being able to resolve conflicts is also one of the qualities that Layec’s successor must have, according to the vacancy, “to act when necessary in conflicts between referees, players, trainers or other stakeholders”.
Extra semiprofs
The new technical director will be in charge of all referees active in professional football. He or she becomes responsible, among other things, for the match indications of the referees. In recent months, Layec was accused of playing solo smart too often. The new boss will have to consult more closely with the newly formed appointment management panel, which today consists of assistant referee manager Stijn Hutsebaut, VAR coordinator Christof Dierick and head of refereeing technology. Dieter De Naeyer.
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The Football Association and the Pro League continue to invest in the professionalization of Belgian arbitration. A professional statute for referees is not yet possible tomorrow, but the number of semi-pro referees will be expanded from twelve to sixteen next season. Brent Staessens, Michiel Allaerts, Simon Bourdeaud’hui and Arthur Denil are the refs who will be promoted this summer. Denil was in the news this weekend after he gave Westerlo player Romeo Vermant a controversial red card after two yellow cards in the same phase.
