The Mayor of Bruges, Dirk De fauw (CD&V), opposes the decision by the Mayor of Anderlecht, Fabrice Cumps (PS), to ban Club Brugge supporters from attending the match against Anderlecht on 18 May.
Cumps made this decision following riots after last Sunday’s cup final, but De fauw argues that the upcoming match is a different scale from the cup final, and the likelihood of trouble is much lower.
Mayor Cumps decided that Club Brugge fans would not be welcome due to the recent violence. However, De fauw disagrees. "There is a significant difference between a cup match with 22,500 supporters and the match on 18 May where only 1,000 to 1,500 are allowed."
De fauw believes the risk of problems is smaller for the Anderlecht match. "A combi arrangement requires supporters to take buses to and from the stadium, leaving no opportunity for them to go elsewhere. This greatly reduces the chance of violence."
Mayor of Bruges & Port of Zeebrugge Chairman Dirk De Fauw pictured during a press conference to present the year results of the 'Port of Antwerp-Bruges, in Zeebrugge, Wednesday 11 January 2023. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
In response, De fauw has sent an email to his counterpart in Anderlecht requesting a meeting. "I propose that the Anderlecht police contact our police to discuss how to arrange everything safely."
Furthermore, the Bruges mayor calls for an investigation into who was responsible for the violence on Sunday.
"I notice individuals dressed in black without supporter attire in the footage. We don’t know who they are, and they might not even be actual supporters," he said.
"We must thoroughly investigate this before drawing any conclusions. The role of the local police should also be examined, as they were in charge at the time. It’s important to understand how those fans ended up in a completely different municipality."
