BelgaJelle Vossen is honored for his 600th match in professional football
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 14:28
Together with his daughters, Jelle Vossen was on the field on Saturday for the match of his club Zulte Waregem against Francs Borains. It was a celebration for 35-year-old Vossen, who was going to play his 600th professional match.
Just before the home game in the Challenger Pro League, the second level in Belgium, Vossen received flowers and a beautifully framed shirt as a gift. That shirt had the number 600 on it, but after the match Vossen still had 599 games. Trainer Sven Vandenbroeck, former player of De Graafschap and Roda JC, kept the veteran next to him on the bench for the entire game.
“The decision to start Vossen on the bench was purely tactical,” the trainer explained to Het Nieuwsblad.
“The club had apparently been making these preparations for a while, but I only heard about it on Wednesday and then I had already completed my tactical preparation. This will probably hit him and his entourage hard.”
Draw
Unfortunately, the match of leader Zulte Waregem against low-flyer Francs Borains did not have a score progression for Vossen and he was still allowed to play his 600th match. The home team still took a 2-0 lead, but the visitors fought back to 2-2. That ultimately became the final score.
Vossen will therefore have to wait a little longer for his anniversary match. It may happen on Tuesday, when Zulte Waregem will be visited by first division FCV Dender in the cup tournament.
