The Belgian football club KRC Genk has accused the Dutch police of disproportionate action against fans at the away game in Utrecht. The police had previously excluded around 1,200 visiting fans from the Europa League game, which Genk won 2-0, due to security concerns. She had previously sent around 300 supporters from the guest stand. Due to the evacuation, the game started 53 minutes late.
“Since then, KRC Genk has received images and reports that demonstrate unnecessary and excessive police violence. The club strongly condemns this disproportionate action by the local authorities against innocent KRC Genk fans,” said a club statement. There was initially no reaction from the Utrecht authorities.
The decision to exclude came after around 300 Genk supporters did not undergo an identity check or a search, as the Belgian news agency Belga reported, citing police information. According to police reports, a large group of fans who had traveled from Belgium evaded controls by climbing over security barriers.
According to FC Utrecht, 60 people were in the guest block without tickets, as the Dutch broadcaster NOS reported. The club therefore requested that the guest block be cleared before kick-off. According to their own statements, the police then sent all affected supporters from the visitors’ stand. Some were armed with sticks and poles, which caused the evacuation to be delayed.
Due to the incidents, the rest of the Genk supporters were also prevented from attending the game. “The club deeply regrets that 1,200 loyal Genk fans were unable to witness this great European away win and were unnecessarily stuck on the bus for hours,” the club said.
Genk wants to investigate the incident
Before criticizing the police, the KRC Genk condemned the behavior of its supporters. “The club regrets the inconvenience caused to the fans and the organization,” it said in a further statement. The club will investigate the incident thoroughly and decide on further steps.
“We checked whether the fans from Genk, who had traveled on other buses and had not yet arrived at the stadium, could still sit in the away stand,” the local authorities said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the damage to the guest stand was so extensive that it was no longer possible to clean it in a timely manner and, above all, to secure it.”
According to broadcaster NOS, riots with injuries had already occurred around FC Utrecht’s past Europa League home games against Olympique Lyon and FC Porto.
