Belgium’s federal government has approved at first reading a reform of the football law that introduces tougher penalties for offences in and around stadiums and will eventually require identity checks at stadium entrances.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said the reform, which is part of the federal coalition agreement, was accelerated by several recent incidents, including riots at Sclessin stadium in May.
He said those responsible for disorder and damage to the image of Belgian football did not belong in stadiums, and that the tougher rules were intended to ensure supporters and families could enjoy matches in a positive and sporting atmosphere.
Under the reform, all sanctions in the football law will be tightened. The minimum administrative fine will double from €250 to €500.
Penalties for racism and xenophobia will also increase. The minimum fine will rise from €1,500 to €2,000, while the minimum stadium ban will increase from 30 months to three years.
The revised law will also take a tougher approach to the illegal use of pyrotechnics. For acts of violence, assault and bodily harm, the minimum fine will rise from €2,000 to €2,500.
Police will be given greater scope to impose immediate stadium bans when they detect offences. Judges will also be able, on a case-by-case basis, to require people subject to a stadium ban to report to a police station during matches.
The reform broadens the definition of punishable behaviour to include any threatening, insulting or provocative conduct. It also explicitly adds the term “discrimination” to make it easier to tackle all forms of hateful behaviour in and around stadiums.
For the first time, all stadium bans will be brought together in a single official database managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Football clubs will be required to consult the database when selling tickets.
The reform also provides for mandatory identity checks at stadium entrances in the longer term, linked to the Home Affairs database. The Pro League and the clubs will be responsible for developing and introducing the system.
Police will also be allowed, within the legal stadium perimeter, to seize objects intended to conceal a person’s identity.
Another change is the creation of a legal basis for better use of cameras at entrances and in car parks. The rules on the live use of cameras inside stadiums will also be expanded to help identify offenders more quickly and accurately.
Finally, it will become possible to impose an immediate stadium ban pending a final administrative or judicial decision for offences committed within the legal stadium perimeter, which can extend up to five kilometres around a stadium.
The Pro League and the Belgian football association will amend their regulations accordingly. Clubs may also in future be held responsible for the behaviour of visiting supporters in their stands.
