Police presence prevents football fan clashes

A match between Anderlecht and Paris-St-Germain in Brussels yesterday went off without the much-anticipated clashes between the two groups of fans, thanks to a reinforced police presence. Police patrolled the streets surrounding the Parc Astrid stadium on foot, while a traffic detail accompanied the supporters' buses, watched from on high by a police helicopter.

The match had earlier been described by Anderlecht mayor Eric Thomas as “probably the most dangerous of the year,” because of the long-standing rivalry between hooligan elements associated with both teams. The first signs came on Tuesday when six French fans and three Polish men were arrested at the South station in Brussels in possession of butcher knives and knuckle-dusters.

On Tuesday evening, police detained 76 Paris supporters in the Flagey area of Brussels, as well as a dozen or so Anderlecht supporters in Brussels, who police said were on their way to a planned rendezvous in a field in Zellik to the west of Brussels, where the two sides had plans to fight. The Belgian side had even left one of their number with the French opponents to guide them to the site when the signal was given. When police swooped, however, the planned meeting was cancelled.

Another meeting the following day was made impossible by stronger police checks in the street. Hours before the match itself, 11 fans were arrested in the vicinity of the stadium. The two sides are now thought to be planning a meeting in Paris at the time of the return match.