KVK supporters hit their own steward in hospital, hooligan arrested
Although it is prohibited by the corona measures, and also since football incidents earlier in December, there were still some Antwerp supporters in the stands of KV Kortrijk. The make-up match ended with a final goal in the 91st minute. The supporters of the visiting team jumped up to celebrate, after which the KVK fans went to the same stands. Their own stewards try to stop them. One of them was injured and has to be taken to hospital.
Hooligan arrested
The public prosecutor has now announced that the police have arrested a 26-year-old man from Harelbeke. He is known for hooliganism, in 2019 he already received a community service order for similar offences. He was summoned in summary trial for intentional assault and battery resulting in incapacity for work. The case will be heard on March 16.
The police are looking at how they can avoid this in the future: “Risk 0 does not exist, of course, but it is urgently necessary to put our heads together to analyze and look at this problem,” says Thomas Detavernier of police zone Vlas. “It is our task, but especially the club’s, to exclude as many risks as possible.”
Anyone who now buys a ticket must do so with a registered account, those lists are checked again, together with the police. For example, 50 supporters have been banned from the stadium yesterday. “What more can you do to avoid such situations as much as possible? We are open to all suggestions,” says Matthias Leterme, general manager of KV Kortrijk. “We will look at other clubs how they approach this. But I think the most important thing is that people use their common sense.”
Match with history
KV Kortrijk loses the match 0-2. That match already has a short history. Normally it would have already taken place on December 26 last year. Due to an increased number of corona infections in the Antwerp team, the match was then postponed.
(Read more below the photo.)
Kortrijk had lodged an appeal with the Belgian Sports Tribunal BAS against the decision of the Pro League to postpone that match, but that appeal was rejected. Kortrijk also missed fourteen of its thirty A-core players “due to international obligations, injuries, suspensions or winter transfers”. Kortrijk therefore asked to be allowed to use its six players, who were recruited during the winter transfer period, but the RBFA does not want to allow that.