The Ucclois club does not accept his conviction and intends to assert its rights in the Monja / Albertario file. But also confirms that they will not disrupt the good organization of the playoffs.
Le Léopold, condemned this Thursday evening following the decision of the Control Committee of the Royal Belgian Hockey Association (ARBH), reacted officially this afternoon via a press release signed by Philippe Verdussen, the President of the SA Royal Léopold Club. A two-page letter in which the people of Brussels, first of all, regret the heaviness and injustice of the sentence. “(…) The Control Committee also derogated from the rule of principle of the suspensive effect of the appeal and imposed an enforceable nature which is the exception to this rule. (…) This decision is considered a profound injustice and a humiliation by all the players, coaches, staff, managers, members and many supporters of our club, who, by their membership of Leopold, adhere to the values, principles and ethics that prevail within our club. They are all shocked and bruised by the accusations made at the end of an investigation and a disciplinary procedure that violated the most basic principles of the rights of the defence and the proper administration of sports justice.
Convicted of breaching Article 8 in the Monja affair, Leopold lost the 17 points won with the Argentinian international on the pitch and tumbled to 10th place. He will therefore have to compete in the play-offs against Mechelen or Namur to remain in the Division d’honneur. Its ladies’ team goes directly to Division 1. Unacceptable decisions for Leopold which also confirms its intention to appeal without, however, disrupting the good organization of the playoffs which begin this weekend with the semi-finals . “Although having legal civil remedies to act in extreme urgency in order to obtain the suspension of the effects of this decision and convinced of their right in this respect, the leaders and administrators of the Léopold nevertheless considered that the general interest of Belgian hockey had to prevail, so that our club decided to bow temporarily. Leopold intends to act in this way for the good of sport, with respect for the smooth running of the championship and in the spirit of the values that Leopold wants to believe are specific to hockey, even if he must realize that this is not necessarily the case. the same goes for all the actors involved in this regrettable affair which unfortunately revealed a climate of suspicion and denunciation in total contradiction with the values of fair play so characteristic of hockey. » even if he must note that the same is not necessarily true for all the actors involved in this regrettable affair which has unfortunately revealed a climate of suspicion and denunciation in total contradiction with the values of fair play so characteristic at hockey. » even if he must note that the same is not necessarily true for all the actors involved in this regrettable affair which has unfortunately revealed a climate of suspicion and denunciation in total contradiction with the values of fair play so characteristic at hockey. »
The club will therefore assert its rights and its good faith in the Monja-Albertario file by using all possible procedures. “This gesture of appeasement does not in any way imply any acceptance and consent of Leopold with the decision rendered and the reasons for it. The honor and reputation of the club having been called into question in an unfair and arbitrary manner, Leopold – having never intended to circumvent the regulations – intends to enforce its rights in the same way as the results and the classification obtained. deservedly on the field. We will therefore exhaust all possible avenues of appeal and will therefore, within the required timeframe, lodge an appeal against the decision rendered. Moreover, the Léopold – if it were to be restored to its rights – will pursue compensation for any direct and indirect damage resulting from the decision rendered, assured of the unfailing support of its leaders, members and volunteers.
By Laurent Toussaint