Francs Borains to be given points deduction for breaching financial rules | OneFootball

Het Nieuwsblad are reporting that Challenger Pro League side Francs Borains will begin next season on -1 points. The side from the Belgian second tier are set to be deducted a point for the 2025/2026 season for not complying with rules on financial stability. As a result, they become the first team to be punished under the rules that have only been in effect for a handful of years.

The issue for the club is that the negative equity shown in their annual accounts has risen from €719k to €1.3m. The side are certainly not the only club in Belgium that is struggling financially, but sanctions can be, and have been, avoided by other clubs by implementing a capital increase. Another way for clubs to avoid punishment is to ensure that the negative equity has improved by 20% for the next year, clearly not something that has happened for Francs Borains. It is one clear sign of the difficulty in surviving in the second tier of Belgian football, where income from TV rights, ticket sales and transfers is limited in comparison to what it costs to survive or fight for promotion.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson