Walking through the streets of Riga, it is not uncommon to come across Belgians this week. And if they don’t wear their colors, we know why they are there.
Despite the travel ban on Anderlecht supporters for the matches in Riga, Prague and Plzen, some of those who had already booked their flight to Riga this week have obviously decided to give it a try anyway, in buying tickets in local stands. In a club like RFS, which also doesn’t play European matches in its stadium, it’s quite simple.
So, since the start of this week, it is not uncommon to hear French but especially Dutch spoken in the streets of the Latvian capital, or even to recognize one or another familiar face from the stands of Lotto Park. However, we did not come across any Anderlecht supporters displaying their colors.
The lesson was indeed learned: in Silkeborg, certain supporters had been spotted by the police thanks to collaboration between local and Belgian agents. This time, unless you really pay attention and ask them the question clearly, it’s impossible to know who is an RSCA supporter or just a Belgian on a city trip to Riga.
“It’s a shame that they are absent, for us as well as for them. They were impatiently awaiting these European matches,” regretted Killian Sardella at a press conference when the subject was raised. “But we cannot tolerate their behavior at Sociedad and I understand UEFA’s decision.”
David Hubert then completely threw a wrench when someone asked him if he expected to see supporters in the Latvian stands this Thursday. “I hope they will support us from wherever they are, from home or elsewhere. Maybe the journalists can support us to compensate,” joked the RSCA coach.
On the Latvian side, we feared that possible excesses would be blamed on the RFS, which would be blamed for not having sufficiently controlled the Belgian supporters who came on the sly. But if they remain discreet, everything should in theory go well. Even if of course it’s “forbidden”…
