Charleroi under pressure after Standard Liege fans forced to evacuate stand following discovery of remote smoke bombs | OneFootball

Prior to the derby between Charleroi and Standard Liege, the away section had to be evacuated after fans discovered smoke bombs attached to the bottom of their seats. These were remote smoke bombs that were set to be detonated to ‘surprise’ the away fans. Clearly the police were not willing to take any risks and evacuated the stand to remove the devices.

Charleroi as a club will now certainly be under the microscope. Questions will be raised as to how these devices, reportedly planted by the clubs ultras, were put in place. There was clearly a way for the fans to access the stand prior to the game and while the smoke bombs may be a harmless act, it is concerning that this was able to take place at the top flight of Belgian football. It certainly raises questions about security and could lead the club to be fined. The club have already had a few run ins with the ultras this season and this relationship will likely be strained further after this incident. However, the club itself are clearly also responsible for allowing this to happen in the stadium.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson