A bill reinforcing measures to combat football hooliganism following several incidents was drafted by Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, the minister announced in a press release on Monday.
The bill proposes measures giving football clubs greater responsibility for ensuring the safety of supporters inside stadiums, tougher sanctions for those breaking the rules and stricter checks on the identity of people attending matches.
In an official press release, Verlinden announced that she presented the bill during a meeting with Belgian professional football clubs on Monday morning.
Verlinden firmly believes that stricter measures are required. Last weekend, a game between Sporting Charleroi and KV Mechelen had to be stopped due to supporters’ misbehaviour. It is not the first time such a situation has occurred, and often, fireworks and other pyrotechnic materials are also used by fans.
“A few supporters are putting the safety of many others at risk and are once again damaging the image of the football,” Verlinden said. “No one has a miracle solution, the only answer is a joint approach by all actors.”
Her proposal mentions that clubs will face stricter controls and penalties if deficiencies are found in their camera systems, if they fail to comply with ticketing regulations or if they take insufficient precautions to keep pyrotechnic materials out of the stadiums. Clubs will also be granted greater powers to enforce the law.
Supporters caught misbehaving in the stadiums, using pyrotechnics, or being racist or xenophobic, for example, will also be punished more severely. Thus, the full stadium ban for a first offence will be increased from five to ten years.
Additionally, stricter identity checks at stadiums will be introduced, and season tickets and match tickets will only be able to be issued nominatively. Also, stewards will be given the right to ask supporters to show their ID cards, a right currently only reserved for police officers and staff working for a security company.
The minister said she is “counting on all partners to respect the commitments” made in the action plan. “Everyone must take their responsibility. I also hope that the reinforced football law can be quickly approved by the government and the parliament.”
(Anne-Sophie Gayet | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
