Antwerp supporters will be allowed to attend Saturday evening’s league match away to Standard Liège at Sclessin after Liège authorities reversed an earlier ban.
The decision was announced on Saturday by the office of Liège mayor Willy Demeyer. Kick-off is at 20:45.
As is customary before every football match, Liège police carried out a risk assessment in advance. On Friday, that assessment led to a negative decision on the presence of away fans.
That ruling was revised on Saturday afternoon in light of the latest information from Liège police and subject to guarantees from the parties involved, the mayor’s office said.
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The initial decision to bar visiting supporters had drawn strong criticism from Antwerp. Royal Antwerp FC described the measure as unprecedented and deeply disrespectful to the more than 1,000 fans expected to travel to Liège.
In a statement on Friday evening, the club also warned that the move set a dangerous precedent. It said allowing local authorities to decide, so close to kick-off, whether supporters are welcome would open the door to arbitrary decisions.
