Shops attacked, wounded, arrests: the Belgian Cup final between Bruges and Anderlecht was marked by violent overflows in Brussels. These incidents relaunch the debate on hooliganism, while the number of stadium prohibitions has exploded in recent seasons.
DR
40 years after the heysel drama, caused by hooligans, videos broadcast on social networks show scenes of great violence: broken windows, degraded urban furniture, and fireworks drawn at the heart of the crowd, creating an extreme tension climate. A merchant had even been announced in a coma after being violently attacked by Brugeois supporters. Information quickly corrected by Ilse Van de Keere, spokesperson for the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone: “The person is not in a coma. But I confirm that Brugeois supporters attacked a business in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and another to Jette. »»
These incidents occurred on the sidelines of the Belgian football Cup final, won this Sunday by the Bruges club against RSCA. Clashes between supporters broke out in several districts, especially around the central station, on Houba avenue in Strooper, as well as Jette and in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. At the end of the afternoon, a dozen administrative arrests had been identified.
200 stadium bans
These incredible and deplorable events remind that hooliganism is still present in Belgium. In 2023-2024, around 200 hooligans were prohibited from access to the stadiums. These are five times more prohibitions than two years ago. During the 2021-2022 season, and in previous years, clubs inflicted approximately forty bans on extreme supporters.
In recent years, the trend has however accelerated. During the 2022-2023 season, there were 174 bans access to the stadiums, and last year 200. There are not yet figures for this season, but they should be similar. Two years ago, a security plan was put in place so that clubs could more easily issue such bans, within 25 days for disrespectful supporters.
No more controls
Previously, it was necessary to wait for a decision of the justice or the football unit of the SPF Internal Affairs, which could take almost six months. The Pro League is thinking of leaving specialized firms to control compliance with prohibitions via cameras. These controls prove to be difficult to operate, because the police have no means in this area.
