Questions have been asked about stadium security after Thursday’s Belgian Croky Cup Final King Baudouin Stadium.
The showpiece fixture between Anderlecht and Union Saint-Gilloise was particularly keenly awaited as it was the first cup final derby between the two clubs in the 70-year history of the competition.
It ended in a 3-1 victory, after 30 minutes’ extra time, for Union over their city rivals. Anderlecht lost for the fourth time in a row at the stadium and ended their ninth consecutive trophy-less season. Union now hope to clinch a league/cup double to round off another dominant season.
But for some a lively and entertaining game was partly overshadowed to some extent by events off the pitch, with flares regularly being lit and thrown towards a host of firefighters on the stadium’s running tracks.
Flares hurled from the end of the ground occupied by Anderlecht fans delayed the start of the game by several minutes as players, officials waited for thick smoke which enveloped the whole arena to clear. There was also a short delay during the game itself after Anderlecht equalized near the end of regulation time and, once again, smoke from flares engulfed much of the stadium.
Kurt Deswert, a Brussels-based author and football historian, told this website that the use of continued flares begs questions about security.
Speaking after the game, he said the image of a fire started in the Anderlecht fans’ end “may well be symbolic of yesterday’s defeat.”
He said, “The result of the (Anderlecht) supporters’ frustration was the fact that 300 seats were destroyed during the final. A metro train in the city was also damaged. As far as is currently known, no Brussels residents were attacked as they were last year (which remains a disgrace).
“However, the enormous quantity of pyrotechnic material once again smuggled into the stadium raises serious questions about the security preparations for the match and, more broadly, about how safety can be guaranteed during cup finals at the King Baudouin Stadium.
“During the match, Union shirts were also set on fire in the same stand where the seats were vandalized. It took the fire brigade a considerable amount of time to reach the scene and extinguish the blaze.
“Despite repeated appeals to keep the stairways clear, they remained packed with supporters throughout the entire match. This too raises important questions.”
The police presence for the game was intense, with officers in riot gear patrolling the stadium, neighbouring streets and the transport network. Fans travelled on separate Metro lines in order to minimise the risk of trouble and it is believed there was no serious disorder outside the stadium, before or after the game.
Deswert went on, “The King Baudouin Stadium is not a ruin, and it should not be described as such. But by design, it is still a stadium that falls well short of modern standards of comfort and safety. The entire renovation and maintenance dossier has been mishandled for years and urgently needs to be brought under control. The cup finals provide proof of that year after year.”
He added, “The issue with the flares was the same as last year. They also managed to smuggle these into the stadium them. There are safety procedures, but they seem
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