Lens Supporters' Bruges Trip Placed Under High Security

RC Lens supporters travelling to Club Bruges will face strict security measures for Wednesday’s Champions League match. Belgian authorities have placed police on maximum alert and will require all 1,470 authorised Lens fans to make the journey by bus. Individual travel by car will not be permitted.

UEFA has designated the fixture as high risk because of the longstanding relationship between sections of Bruges’ support and Lille, Lens’ major regional rival. Lille’s Dogues Virage Est and Bruges’ North Fanatics marked a decade of friendship during Lille’s match against Le Havre on October 10, while Lille supporters displayed a joint banner and sang anti-Lens chants.

The rivalry has also appeared in Lens’ Bollaert stadium, where the Red Tigers used a banner referencing Bruges during the visit of Sporting Portugal. Supporters from the two sides were previously connected to incidents during the Lens-Lille derby in 2021.

Police are particularly concerned about possible confrontations away from Jan-Breydel Stadium, including in Bruges city centre, at railway stations and on major roads. The operation is further complicated by Lille’s simultaneous home match against Galatasaray, played around 70 kilometres away. Although the North Fanatics were formally dissolved in 2024 after controversy over Nazi salutes, Belgian authorities fear that parts of the group remain active, including a radical faction associated with violence.