The Federal Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat) has drafted a bill containing measure to stamp out hooliganism in and arounds the country’s football grounds. The bill centres around measures that will give football clubs great responsibility for ensuring the safety of fans inside their grounds, tougher sanctions for those that break the rules and stricter checks on the identity of those entering football stadiums
The new bill that will be put before the Federal Government and parliament was unveiled by Ms Verlinden (photo below) during a meeting of representatives of Belgium’s professional football clubs in Mechelern (Antwerp Province) on Monday morning.
Clubs will be given a greater role in ensuring that fans behave, and greater efforts will be made to identify and exclude offenders from football grounds. The penalties that exist under the current football bill legislation will be tightened and stricter identity checks will be introduced on those wishing to enter stadiums. The measures were announced first at the meeting and later in a press release are a first draft of a bill that will first be discussed (and amended) by the Federal Cabinet before being put before MPs.
Ms Verlinden believes that it is all too clear that stricter measures are required. Last weekend the First Division game between Sporting Charleroi and KV Mechelen had to be abandoned due to misbehaviour by fans. Elsewhere, fireworks and other pyrotechnic material were used by so-called “Ultras” in the stands.
“A few fans putting many other at risk”
Ms Verlinden told journalists that “A few supporters are putting the safety of many others at risk and are once again damaging the image of the football. The tightening of the football bill that was previous announced is therefore very necessary."
"No one has a miracle solution; the only answer is a joint approach from all sides. Safety in stadiums starts with the clubs. In order to further empower the clubs their role will be increased under the new football bill."
"Clubs will be subject to stricter checks and stiffer penalties if deficiencies are discovered in their camera systems, if they fail to comply with ticketing regulations or take insufficient precautions to keep pyrotechnic material out of their stadiums”.
Severe penalties, stricter checks at the turnstiles
Supporters who are caught breaching the rules contained in the football bill by, for examplev, using pyrotechnical material or chanting racist or xenophobia abuse inside football grounds will face stiffer sanctioning than is currently the case.
If the new bill is passed the maximum duration of a ban from attending football matches (for a first offence) will be increased from 5 to 10 years. There will also be stiffer penalties for acts of violence against stewards or emergency services staff. Furthermore, those that have been banned from stadium should effectively be no longer be able to enter them.
Another major charge is that season tickets and match tickets will only be able to be issued nominatively. Stewards will be given the right to ask fans to prove their identity by showing their ID card, a right that stewards currently don’t have. At present only police officers and staff working for a recognised security company at a football ground have the right to ask a person for his/her identity card.