And it was all looking such nice publicity (a couple of Luton based Villa acting as honorary Belgians for the photo)
Original article de-paywalled here
https://archive.ph/mcPwH[edit - this was published prematch]
Google translate:
WATCH – 1,500 Aston Villa fans in Bruges: no incidents with British supporters
Some Belgian Villains at the Egg Market in Bruges, with chairman Sebastien Neirynck from Bredene © JVM
Stefan Vankerkhoven
16:49
Updated on: 16:52
About 1,500 fans of the British football team Aston Villa had palmed the cafes in the Bruges squares in the city center on Sunday afternoon. There have been no incidents so far. Mayor Dirk De fauw had not even imposed a glass ban. The police ruled that the fans of this team from Birmingham posed little danger to public safety in Bruges.
Unlike previous European football matches, Dirk De fauw did not issue a mayor's decree, with additional security measures. Only the shopkeepers in the ashes between Zand and Markt received a letter in the bus, asking them not to place garbage bags on the footpath on Wednesday. Question of the British football supporters not to give reason to dump dumps with garbage and take care of litter.
Lower risk
Carlo Smits, spokesman for the Bruges police, confirms to us that Club-Aston Villa is less considered a risk match in terms of gradation than, for example, the recent match against Borussia Dortmund: “In any case, every match in the Champion's League is by definition a risky match, the presence of which requires extra police. But we have analyzed Aston Villa well, this team has a good reputation.”
“There were already 900 British fans present in Bruges on Tuesday. They celebrated well in the evening at the Egg Market. But there were no incidents”, said Carlo Smits, who on patrol through the Steenstraat on Wednesday afternoon in the company of a young German policeman: “Julia is the first Erasmus student to do an internship with the Bruges police. In Germany you have to get a bachelor's degree, before you can become a police inspector.”
Belgian Villains
Wednesday afternoon, Aston Villa supporters had mainly palmed the cafes on the Eiermarkt and the Markt. Flags hung everywhere with the light blue and purple colors of the team from Birmingham. In front of the window of the Court of Rembrandt was a flag of the 'Belgian Villains' – a supporters club from our country. Chairman Sebastien Neirynck from Bredene was drinking half a liter in the company of his son Wout (10) – a Club supporter – just like the other British fans.
Fans of Aston Villa on the Market in Bruges: singing loudly, but no incidents. © JVM
“The Belgian Villains have a hundred members, mainly fans from Aalst, Ghent and Kortrijk and of course Bredene. About thirty members bought tickets for the match on Wednesday evening. There will be a number of Belgian fans of Aston Villa, who bought their ticket in Bruges, among the home audience. But I don't expect any problems, they're all nice people.”
Thoroughly screened
“Aston Villa enjoys a dignified reputation, in the 80s there was a hard core that made amok, now not anymore. By the way, the security measures are enormous: when buying your ticket, your identity card was thoroughly screened. Since Brexit, customs formalities have been reintroduced and the British must have a passport to come to Europe. They too have been checked on the ferries”, says Sebastien Neirynck.
Striking fact: the British fans were allowed to drink their half liters in glass cups at the Egg Market and the Market. Mayor Dirk De fauw ruled that it was not necessary to issue a glass ban in the city center. On the Platse in Sint-Andries this was true for the Club supporters.
Christmas market
Because the Christmas market is in full swing, the British fans could not gather at the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter De Coninck on the Market: fences were placed all around. Sewerage works in the Steenstraat also formed a small obstacle.
“There is no 'corteo' – parade – from British fans to 't Zand or to the stadium. We do ask Aston Villa supporters to go to the Jan Breydel Stadium in buses in groups at 5 pm. Free shuttle buses are provided for British fans”, says Carlo Smits.
