The former owner of the Royal White Star Bruxelles football club will bring legal proceedings against Belgium in an international court and will ask for a minimal compensation of €5 million.
Djamel Ben Fehra’s decision to appeal to an international arbitration court reignites a conflict that has opposed two Molenbeek football clubs over municipality’s stadium since 2017.
During that year, Molenbeek authorities ordered Ben Fehra’s White Star to relinquish its claim to Molenbeek’s Machtens stadium, in favour of rivalling club Racing White Daring (RWDM).
The news fueled animosity between supporters of both clubs, especially after supporters of the Racing White Darling were seen tearing down White Star advertisements and posters from the stadium.
The Algerian businessman’s actions and appeals against the order were rejected by Brussels’ court of appeals. A further appeal to the national competition authority, who is also cited in the new proceedings, was considered unfounded.
According to business daily l’Echo, Ben Fehra will demand to be compensated with a minimum of €5 million, as he estimated that the decisions by Belgian authorities dealt a harsh blow to the club’s finances, and it was ultimately pushed back to the third division, even as it was about to slip into the first.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
