Belgium imposes tougher sanctions in fan violence crackdown
FILE - A steward removes a flare which was thrown onto the pitch at the end of the first leg quarterfinal Europa League soccer match between Club Brugge and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at Jan Breydel stadium in Bruges, Belgium, Thursday April 16, 2015. More than 1,800 stadium bans and fines above 900,000 euros ($974,000) have been imposed on hooligans who committed violence during the 2021-22 season in Belgium, local enforcement authorities said on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Geert Vanden Wijngaert]
BRUSSELS (AP) — More than 1,800 stadium bans were imposed in Belgium during the 2021-22 soccer season along with larger fines as authorities try to crack down on fan violence. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Tuesday that the sanctions sent a clear message that “bad behavior has no place” in soccer stadiums. The sanctions were imposed by a specialized cell at the interior ministry and form part of a clampdown following repeated incidents.
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FILE - Fans light flares prior to the start of an Europa League playoff, first leg, soccer match between Genk and Brondby at the KRC Genk Arena in Genk, Belgium, Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. More than 1,800 stadium bans and fines above 900,000 euros ($974,000) have been imposed on hooligans who committed violence during the 2021-22 season in Belgium, local enforcement authorities said on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Olivier Matthys