French police arrest Feyenoord fans at the border ahead of Champions League match in Lille | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Fans of Feyenoord light flares during the Europa League Group F soccer match between Sturm Graz and Feyenoord at the Merkur Arena in Graz, Austria, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)

French police arrest Feyenoord fans at the border ahead of Champions League match in Lille

LILLE, France (AP) — Dozens of Feyenoord fans banned from traveling to Lille for a Champions League game between the two clubs have been turned away or arrested at the border, French authorities said Wednesday.

The Prefecture du Nord, which represents the French state in the Lille region, said 86 fans of the Dutch team have been refused entry to France and that 30 have been arrested.

Police officers seized pyrotechnic devices and various objects that could be used as weapons during their checks, the prefecture said.

France’s interior ministry said the travel ban was introduced because of a “real and serious risk of confrontation” between fans of the two teams ahead of Wednesday’s match at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The French authorities said Feyenoord’s travels are often marred by “public order disturbances due to the violent behavior of certain supporters or individuals claiming to be supporters of this team,” and they cited several examples of fan violence.

French police arrest Feyenoord fans at the border ahead of Champions League match in Lille | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Feyenoord’s fans chant slogans before the start of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Feyenoord and Salzburg, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Patrick Post, File)

In May 2022, there were violent clashes in France between Marseille and Feyenoord fans outside the Stade Velodrome stadium before their Europa Conference League semifinal game.

There were also violent clashes in Lille city center when the club played Bulgarian side Levski Sofia in the Europa League in 2010.

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