Alles en beetje complex.....

So, since we arrived one thing that has struck me almost instantly is how complicated things are here. Bureaucracy is taken to a new level to be honest and the political situation, which is still far from being resolved (will no doubt blog about this in the future, when I get my head round it properly), is now a world record breaker as far as a country having had an election without forming a government and the time elapsed in between. Only yesterday we received a letter from a company who deals with the utility bills. This company isn't the one that supplies your fuel, it's the company that looks after everything while you choose a company to provide your fuel. When you have chosen one, you have to tell the company that has written the letter and they organise setting it all up. I can't help but wonder of that is really necessary? I think the one thing that has really got out of hand is the football league. One of the things I love about football is its simplicity, as soon as I arrived it would be something I could understand, get my teeth into, although I am yet to choose a Belgian team to support. This was until the end of the season came a week or so ago. Once the final places are completed the league is then divided into 3 groups:

• the top six play one another anew to see, once again, who will emerge the winner, and who plays in Europe next season. In recognition of the table ranking of the eight-month general season, the top six playoff table is pre-stacked with points awarded through a complex coefficient. So Anderlecht, in first place, started the playoffs with 33 points, while Lokeren, in sixth, had 25;
• the next eight clubs play in two four-club groups for a place in the Europa League, with the winners of each group in a final playoff. This playoff winner then plays the fourth-placed team from the top six in a “test match” to claim the Europa League spot;
• The bottom two play each other five times. The loser is relegated, but the winner still has to endure a four-team playoff with the second- to fourth-placed clubs in the Second Division.

Got that? It really says it all..... the usually reserved and accepting Belgians are up in arms about this apparently and I will be surprised if it continues for much longer.

Thanks to Flanderstoday.eu for the explanation of the above, I couldn't have described it that clearly!

I thought I would add something musical to the end of my blogs, some music that I have discovered in Belgium or suchlike... the first group that has taken my eye this time around is a band called Arsenal. Seeing as this is a football related post it seemed apt. I heard about them years ago and their new album, Lokemo, is great. See the links below for more info:

http://www.arsenal-music.com/

http://www.myspace.com/arsenalbe