

A stadium in Belgium underwent a partial evacuation on Sunday after remote-controlled flares and smoke bombs were found under seats in the away supporters’ section.
The incident occurred ahead of Sporting Charleroi’s 1-0 home victory over Standard Liege in the Jupiler Pro League, the top flight of Belgian football. The two clubs are fierce rivals.
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The 15,000-capacity Stade du Pays de Charleroi was partially evacuated as a specialised team entered the stadium to neutralise 14 homemade devices, the local public prosecutor’s office confirmed to The Athletic.
The prosecutor’s office said the devices were discovered after one Standard Liege supporter found that his seat was not properly secured. An explosive detection dog and a bomb-disposal unit (SEDEE) were called to the scene after the police had partially evacuated the stand where the away fans were.
The SEDEE said that, had the devices been detonated, they could have caused serious burns to the person sitting in the seat and those around them, the prosecutor’s office added.
“Sporting Charleroi deplores and condemns in the strongest possible terms the unacceptable behavior of certain individuals who attempted to booby-trap seats in the away stand using smoke bombs designed to be triggered remotely,” a Charleroi statement read. “Such acts are completely unacceptable and have absolutely no place in our stadium. They also run counter to the values defended by Sporting Charleroi.
“Sporting Charleroi is cooperating fully with the authorities in the ongoing judicial investigation and has already met with several competent authorities on Monday to establish, in particular, the chronology of events leading up to the match.
“At this stage, the perpetrators have not yet been identified, as the investigation is still ongoing.”
(A photo of Standard Liege supporters during Sunday’s game: Virginie Lefour/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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