On Wednesday evening, ahead of a European fixture Spanish Atlético Madrid football supporters smashed a window of a De Lijn bus. Another bus was also damaged. At the end of last year, Spanish football fans (from Barcelona) set fire to a bus in the West Flemish capital. The socialist trade union is disappointed. ‘Despite all the precautions, things got out of hand yet again.’
On Wednesday evening, the pride of West Flanders, Club Brugge played Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. Spanish supporters were ferried from the city centre to the Jan Breydel Stadium in Sint-Andries by bus. Several incidents occurred on the buses.
The socialist trade union's Petra Depoorter: ‘A side window was smashed.’ In addition, there was a second incident involving another bus. Unfortunately, that bus broke down on the Vrijdagmarkt. Although a replacement bus arrived within two minutes, the ceiling at the rear of the broken-down bus was completely destroyed.
Extra stewards should prevent trouble
At the end of last year, Spanish Barcelona fans set fire to a bus. Drivers then walked out. Measures were taken to prevent a repeat.
‘Clear agreements were made with the police and the City of Bruges. These arrangements were properly adhered to during the last two European matches: there were extra stewards, extra security staff and better coordination. Despite all these precautions and the fact that last night's match was not a high-risk match, things still went wrong!’