‘The board does not question Matsu’s position’: Gilles de Belde refers to the protest actions of Anderlecht fans, mainly aimed at players | A new loss for Anderlecht

These will be actions aimed primarily at (the mentality) of the players, according to our analyst Gil de Belde (see the video at the top of this article). “Part of the hard core is planning not to attend the first twelve minutes of the match against KV Mechelen or turn their backs on the players. It’s not a lot of protests against the coach or the board, but against the players.” Anderlecht fans are also considering going to the Nerbed training complex before the match to express their displeasure.

De Bilde was able to speak to some of the board members. “They assured me that Phyllis Matsu’s position would not be compromised. They went to great lengths to untie him from the union. If he was fired after three months, it would seem a bit ridiculous. But you know how things go in football…”

However, De Bilde does not believe the first leg at KV Mechelen will determine whether or not Mazzu will continue. “The board sometimes has questions about line-up or tactics, but like the group of players, it still stands behind the coach. It is mainly the mentality and strength of the players that need to be improved. Also, do not forget that you are dealing with a young and inexperienced group in many positions. The quality is not so natural that you play the top four. There are a lot of examples of clubs taking steps in this area: Club Brugge, RC Genk, Union and Antwerp. Anderlecht does not.”

Even before the match against West Ham, the hard core was already in motion, as the bus was stopped with Anderlecht’s squad of players. Hannes Delcroix: “Our bus stop was to encourage and motivate us to go all the way. But the fans should not be afraid. We are fully committed to that,” said the defender, who was in the starting line-up last night because Jan Vertonghen was absent due to illness.

Delcroix, who noted that the group of players is united behind Phyllis Matsu, is not aware of the planned fan sit-in on Sunday.