A 63-year-old man was beaten up on Tuesday evening on a motorway rest area in Belgium, a few hours after the Champions League meeting between the Cercle de Bruges and Manchester City (1-5).
This Belgian supporter, member of a collective of fans of the English club, was attacked by individuals related to supporters of the opposing club.
He was in a coma on Tuesday evening with a serious head injury, his son told Belgian media Het Laatste Nieuws.
“After the match, we pulled up to the parking lot along the E40 in Drongen,” he said. As we got ready to hit the road, my dad was still outside waiting for two friends. There, a supporter of Club (Bruges) approached him and pulled his scarf around his neck. When my father asked for his scarf to be returned, he received a severe blow to the head, before the attackers fled and left my father for dead. According to him, his father is in critical condition. “His brain is damaged and the doctors haven't given us much hope. We hope he will come out of it, but the chances are very slim that he will come out completely unscathed. "
City's group of Belgian supporters, Blue Moon Belgium, posted a message to him on Wednesday morning on his Facebook account deploring “this senseless violence”.
"Keep fighting daddy", it is written.
"We went all over England and the rest of Europe, never encountering any aggression," the message continues.
We come to Belgium once and a man is left for dead.
"
Blue Moon Belgium werd gisterenavond het slachtoffer van zinloos (supporters) geweld.
Mijn vader werd laf aangevallen ...
Posted by Blue Moon Belgium on Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Five suspects have been arrested, the East Flanders prosecutor's office confirmed to the media Het Laatste Nieuws.
Club Brugge is also outraged by this attack on its official website.
“The club strongly disapproves of any act of violence, both inside and outside the stadium and in all circumstances advocates the values of tolerance.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the Manchester City fan ”.