Also in Prague and Plzen
Another supporter didn’t hesitate for a single second either. “There are four of us leaving this Wednesday from Frankfurt airport. We pay 163 euros per person and 200 euros for two nights in a hotel. We can’t still be forbidden from taking a city trip to Riga, which is a magnificent city? We’re obviously not going to sing in town or wear Anderlecht outfits.”
Both our first contact and the second will try to attend the match. “We bought tickets for 60 euros in a Latvian block”our first interlocutor tells us. “It was without the slightest problem. We did the same thing in Silkeborg, when Anderlecht also had to play without visiting fans following the incidents at West Ham. We made the mistake of returning to our block too early. Spotters from the Belgian police had recognized us. We had to leave the stadium, but we were not arrested.”
No travel ban
The second supporter we had in line will also try to watch the match. “We’ll see what’s possible. In Silkeborg, I managed to see the match thanks to the kindness of one of Anderlecht’s sponsors, who had an extra seat. If it’s really impossible to return, we’re not going to go to war. We will follow the meeting from a café. At least we can say that we went with Anderlecht to Riga, a destination where Sporting has never been in its history. I can tell you that we have also booked our trips for the matches in Slavia Prague and Plzen.”
Our two interlocutors know that they risk traveling 3,000 kilometers without seeing a football. “And we would pay for the bullshit of some scoundrels from the Mauves Armythey say. We don’t even blame the Mauves Army in its entirety, who make magnificent tifos and who often create a good atmosphere. But these few imbeciles who spoil our party must be punished for life.”
The Belgian police do not travel to Riga to intercept Belgian supporters. “It is up to the local police to request support from the visiting policesays Commissioner Philippe Boucar of the Brussels-Midi zone. She didn’t, since in theory it’s a match without visiting fans. Now they are aware of the presence of Belgians.”
Riga has no hard core
Boucar doesn’t expect any problems. “Because Riga doesn’t have a hard core and I don’t believe that Anderlecht fans are going there to destroy the city. But I wonder how UEFA will react when it realizes that the supporters have not respected its sanction. Everyone has the freedom to travel wherever they want as long as the mayor of Riga has not decreed a ban on Belgians being on his territory. And according to my information, this is not the case.”
The RFS Riga club announced on its website that Anderlecht residents cannot attend the match. But the most important sentence is: “Fans ‘with Anderlecht merchandising’ – except in the VIP block – will be ejected from the stadium.” In other words: those who don’t wear mauve needn’t worry too much. But the local police are obviously vigilant. The images of the incidents in San Sebastian also created a buzz in Latvia.
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