Trabzonspor vs Hearts referee has controversial Wouter Vrancken history including red cards and accusations
The Trabzonspor vs Hearts referee has been announced - and Wouter Vrancken is well aware of who that is.
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken will meet a figure he knows well from Belgian football when taking his Jambos side to Trabzonspor on Thursday.
The Turkish Super Lig side are the latest opponent for the Tynecastle outfit in this year’s Conference League, and it’s a match that reunites Vrancken with referee Lawrence Visser. An officiating crew from his native Belgium will take charge of the match but the history between the Hearts boss and Visser isn’t all hugs and kisses.
It can be dated by Belgian reporting as far back as 2020, when Vrancken was still in charge of KV Mechelen, losing 3-2 at home to Beerschot after being two goals up. A red card for Aster Vranckx over a challenge on opponent Ismaila Coulibaly sparked two goals conceded and two sending off for members of the Mechelen coaching staff.
What is Wouter Vrancken’s history with Trabzonspor vs Hearts referee
It was remarked by Belgian football analyst Patrick Goots post-match: “Without that red card, I never see Beerschot winning this match against KV Mechelen. KV had the upper hand until then and showed better play. Only after they were reduced to ten men could Beerschot seize control. So yes, KV Mechelen did not lose to Beerschot, but to referee Visser.”
Then during 2023 while in position with Genk amid an impressive 3-1 win over Club Brugge, Visser sent Vrancken to the stands. The current Hearts leader picked up a yellow card for protesting a yellow card for Genk defender Daniel Munoz, and then after asking for a further explanation, received a second.
He said at the time: “I apologised to the group for that red card. Whatever the situation was, my reaction wasn't necessary. On the other hand, I am very proud of my team's performance. We really played a very good game. We fell behind against the run of play, but even then we had the mental strength to turn it around. Sometimes you just almost don't know what the rules are anymore. Gerardo Arteaga took an elbow to the face from Eder Balanta, but play just went on. Afterwards, Munoz accidentally swung his arm, but there was more drama and he just got a yellow card immediately. That was my disappointment at the time.”
Meetings with Visser followed him to Sint-Truidense VV, where in a 2-1 defeat to Genk during September 2025, Voetbal Belgie claimed it was a loss that came ‘with the refereeing playing the starring role.’ Keisuke Goto looked to have put STVV 2-0 up but VAR official Kevin Van Damme spotted a foul during build-up that Visser agreed with upon inspection.
Why was Wouter Vrancken previously unhappy with Lawrence Visser
Teammate Rein Van Helden was shown red for a tackle on Zakaria El Ouahdi's ankle and there were claims goalkeeper Leo Kokubo was obstructed for the winning Genk goal. A possible second booking for Konstantinos Karetsas after taking his shirt off was also missed. Vrancken fumed post-match: “It is a shame that the focus will now be mainly on the refereeing. Our performance was good. But I have serious questions about that other thing.
“With eleven against eleven we were the better team. We created many chances. With ten against eleven we also showed who we are. We deserve not one but three points. Those crucial phases all went against us. For Genk’s second goal, a player held our goalkeeper by the throat with his arm. If that was only a minor foul, then it must have been the case in other phases as well. Brian Heynen only received a yellow card for a challenge on Ito.
“For a second challenge, on Andres Ferrari, a second yellow card was withheld. Konstantinos Karetsas took off his shirt after the 1-2. You get a yellow card for anything like that. Visser and his three assistants hadn't seen that. Visser said that they had made that decision live. They hadn't seen it on the footage. He said the same thing about that red card. According to Visser, Van Helden kicked El Ouahdi above the ankle. The footage completely contradicts that. They hadn't seen it.”
Hearts and Vrancken will hope for few refereeing incidents in their clash with Trabzonspor. The team are aiming to bounce back from a humbling 7-1 Premiership loss to Celtic last time out but face the likes of Mo Salah in their latest European quest.