October 23rd 2002

Club Brugge has qualified for the Champions League and is drawn into a group with FC Barcelona, Lokomotiv Moskou and Galatasaray. I am a fan of the city rivals of Club Brugge, Cercle Brugge, but a Champions League game is always interesting to watch live. So, a friend of mine can get me tickets for the game against Galatasaray, which is on my 21st birthday. I was looking forward to a night with some great atmosphere, lots of beers, and some good football. But, that first part was dead wrong, when we arrived close to the stadium.

4 Turks bleeding in a wrecked car

We parked the car and walked to the square where the pubs are close to the stadium. There (about 2 hours before the game) incredible riots had broken out. Water canons and police on horses were trying to get the order back, but that was idle hope. We decided to do a little extra miles around the stadium to avoid the riots and to try to get to the stadium and get a few beers in the stadium. There we were stopped by the police because, apparently 5000 Galatasaray supporters without a ticket were trying to get into the stadium. Again a detour, because the police had their hands full trying to calm down these people and keeping them away from the stadium and away from the Club Brugge supporters.

We had no other possibility than to turn back and try the first route through the riots. By the time we came back there, order was a little restored, but still a small cat and mouse game with some Brugge hooligans and the police was going on. But we could pass safely. And then we saw what was the cause of the riots. Incredible, but, at the square that was closed down by the police hours before the game for traffic, a old red Ford with Dutch licence plates and 4 Galatasaray supporters inside was misled by the police and was forced into the Club Brugge crowd. Of course the hooligans (Club Brugge has some really fierce hooligans among its fans) liked this and started jumping on the car and threw in all the windows with what they could find. The four people inside were like rats in a trap. They got beaten up severely and were all bleeding in their faces and in shock. A terrible sight, but it happened, see the pictures below.

(The 2 Turks in front of the car, in shock!)

Inside, racism was king

Inside the stadium, I heard some of the worst crap supporters can sing to the rivals. From both sides, by the way. Luckily it was an incredible game with a ton of chances and Club Brugge won. With 3-1, but it could have been 7-2! And eventually we had some beers in a more peacefull place, so I could celebrate my birthday.

(Summary of the game on Belgian TV)

Tonight?

What will tonight bring? The game will be interesting, Club Brugge is in good form and has a coach that knows how to handle pressure games. But Galatasaray is a tough opponent, especially with Falcao now in the squad. I hope Club Brugge can win. Besides the field, I hope that the police has done its homework, because again I expect big riots. If not with Turkish supporters, the Brugge hooligans will definitely target the police. Tonight, I have no tickets, so I will watch on TV, maybe it's for the best!

Sincerely,

Pele23