Belgian football association CEO fired for raising own salary without board's approval

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Belgium’s football association on Thursday dismissed its CEO for allegedly raising his own salary in 2022 without the approval of the board of directors.

"The URBSFA (Royal Belgian Football Association) Board of Directors has decided to terminate the contract of its CEO Peter Bossaert with immediate effect," the association said in a statement.

It said that it will not comment on Bossaert's exit until further notice and that the board is seeking a new CEO.

According to the Belgian daily Le Soir, Paul Van den Bulck, the football association chair, had hired a law firm to audit Bossaert's salary increase, which found that Bossaert’s new contract violated the Belgian football body's code of ethics, and it was "contrary to their internal law and regulations."

Bossaert had been serving as the Belgian Football Association CEO since 2018.

Belgium, the 2018 FIFA World Cup bronze medalists, faced a shocking group stage elimination at Qatar 2022.

Following the Red Devils' poor performance in the 2022 World Cup, Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez stepped down from his post.

In February, Domenico Tedesco was hired to replace Martinez.

Belgium will visit Sweden in a UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying group match in Solna on Friday.