A brawl between several dozen supporters of Anderlecht and Young Boys broke out on Wednesday evening in the center of Brussels on the eve of the Conference League return dam.
It led to the administrative arrest of 23 Swiss “fans”. According to a spokeswoman for the Brussels police, a café in the historic center of the Belgian capital was ransacked “following a confrontation between supporters of the two clubs“. The ArtDeco windows of the Falstaff, an establishment classified as a historic monument, were the target of chair throwing by around thirty individuals, some wearing hoods.
The burgomaster (mayor) of Brussels, Philippe Close, went there while the owner of the premises was greatly shocked, one of the waiters having believed “to an attack“, according to a testimony delivered to the daily La Derniere Heure. Twenty-three administrative arrests were made.
The arrested Swiss hooligans should quickly be expelled, according to the Brussels authorities, who will also take measures once morest the Anderlecht supporters involved. Analysis of surveillance camera images is in progress. According to the Belgian police, the incident follows a confrontation in the first leg, during which around forty Anderlecht supporters were attacked on the terrace of a bar.
ats/bur
