Strong Anti-Racism Initiative Club Brugge: NOTWITHUS

Strong Anti-Racism Initiative Club Brugge: NOTWITHUS

Fully aware of its huge impact on society, Club Brugge wishes to offer a positive contribution to the community on a social level. An accessible and open Club is what Club Brugge’s board and staff are working towards, open and accessible to everyone, no matter their heritage, beliefs or social backgrounds are. Therefore, Club Brugge launched a brand new concept to tackle racism in their ‘Jan Breydel’ stadium.

”There is no place for racism. Nowhere. Not in society, not in sport and certainly not with us. As a Club, we are taking the lead in the fight against it. For years, we have been conducting awareness-raising campaigns to banish racism from our stadium. We continue this fight with concrete action. 24.000 QR-Codes in the Jan Breydel stadium must make it possible to detect, exclude and punish racism.

Racism is a social problem that is present everywhere. Same goes for football stadiums, so too at Clubs. An absolute minority of the 28,000 fans who cheer Blue-Black every week spoil things for the others. That is why, at Club, we go one step further. The past has shown that behavioural change through campaigns does not have a (sufficient) effect. Many fans indicate that they no longer want to be associated with this behaviour, that it is enough. Not with us.

That’s the way we look at it: if you make racist remarks, you’re not part of our family, you’re not with us. And we don’t take it anymore, we report it. Not. With. Us.”

Club Brugge

HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH THIS IN PRACTICE?

Club Brugge deploys stewards whose specific task is to detect racist/discriminatory behaviour. These NMO stewards are specially trained and can be recognised by their black vests.
Any fan noticing such behaviour can report it in real-time via the QR code on the #NIETMETONS sticker or via the website nietmetons.clubbrugge.be. The reports are immediately followed up by their security department. Proven offences (e.g. through multiple reports and/or control by the stewards) will be punished with a stadium ban of at least two years, in accordance with the applicable Internal Regulations and the procedure prescribed in the Belgian FA regulations.