Roeselare accuses Westerlo and Houtvenne of competitive tampering

KVC Westerlo and its satellite club Houtvenne face accusations of competitive tampering in the highest amateur division, sparking a broader debate over how professional football teams manage youth squads outside standard league fee structures.

The Accusation from Roeselare

Patrick Rotsaert, sports manager at KSV Roeselare, criticized the partnership between Houtvenne and professional club KVC Westerlo in October 2026. Rotsaert stated that Houtvenne functions effectively as a satellite club for Westerlo. While standard U23 sides must pay a 175,000-euro annual fee per season to participate in the highest amateur division, Westerlo avoids this financial obligation through its relationship with Houtvenne, according to Roeselare’s management. Rotsaert stated, What Houtvenne is doing is competitive tampering and It is very clear that Houtvenne is a B team of Westerlo.

Houtvenne Responds to the Criticism

Van Diest dismissed the allegations, noting that the scrutiny arose only because the club sits atop the standings. Van Diest stated that the clubs are not considering promotion to the Challenger Pro League, as it does not align with their institutional vision. The partnership began in 2020, according to club leadership. Van Diest stated, We also read that, yes, and from Houtvenne we do not want to go along with that witch hunt and Our collaboration is not new, but it is now coming into the crosshairs because we happen to be at the top. And no, it is nice that we are at the top in the highest amateur series, but we are really not thinking about the Challenger Pro League. That does not fit into our vision. Van Diest also stated, Again, no. We were already cooperating before there was any talk of the whole U23 story in the amateur series. And yes, we tried it for a while with a U23 team from Westerlo, but because of the strict rules for U23 teams, that was not opportune. Data from Transfermarkt.be shows that nine players from the Westerlo youth system play for Houtvenne this season. This figure represents a decrease from the twenty players who moved to Houtvenne during the 2024-2025 campaign, which followed the disbandment of Westerlo’s dedicated U23 team, Jong Westerlo. The total was ten players who made the step during the 2021-2022 season.

Those players train at Westerlo, hold a contract at Westerlo, and Houtvenne plays its home matches at Camp Westel, the former grounds of Oosterzonen located about fifteen kilometers from Houtvenne’s actual grounds. Westerlo offered a ticket promotion last weekend where supporters who purchased a ticket for Westerlo’s Jupiler Pro League home match against Beveren could simultaneously attend Houtvenne’s match against Merelbeke for free.

Officials Work to Regularize U23 Regulations

De Klerck acknowledged that the current setup bypasses standard U23 regulations and confirmed that Voetbal Vlaanderen awaits a regulatory adjustment originating from the KBVB and Pro League. De Klerck stated, At this moment there is no question of sporting competitive tampering and We want to regularize this in the long term, yes. With the situation that has now been created, those clubs circumvent the rules of the U23 teams.

Nils Van Brantegem, general licensing auditor at the KBVB, confirmed that officials have worked on a regulatory amendment.