The Belgian Football Federation’s Disciplinary Board has fined football agents Tribe Association the sum of €20,000, half of it suspended, for a payment unapproved by the union's clearance chamber and identified during an audit.
The brokerage firm founded by university law professor Michel Maus and match-fixing expert Karl Dhont had faced a potential fine of over €60,000 for irregularities in connection with the December 2021 transfer of footballer Yassine Ben Hamed from Lille to Antwerp.
Ben Hamed’s negotiations were overseen by Tribe Association, which represented both the player and Antwerp. The agency was assisted by VV Consulting, owned by former Monaco Vice-President Vadim Vasilyev, which was present at the transfer negotiations.
Tribe Association paid VV Consulting the sum of €50,000 in two instalments for its assistance. However, the first payment was not submitted to the clearance chamber, while the second was rejected.
Tribe Association argued that the payment was for a scouting report, but the Disciplinary Board concluded beyond serious doubt that it had been for negotiation assistance, as evidenced by an email sent by Michel Maus in June 2022.
The prosecution requested a €28,500 fine for an unauthorised scouting agreement and €35,416 for conflict of interest. However, the Disciplinary Board imposed a reduced fine of €20,000, half of it suspended for a year.
