Belgian champions Club Brugge will introduce QR codes to combat racism at home matches. Fans will have the opportunity to report racist incidents via their smartphones.
Earlier this week, a local prosecutor wrapped up an investigation into racial abuse directed at Anderlecht coach Vincent Kompany during the league match between the reigning champions and the Brussels-based club without charging anyone.
But Brugge will now introduce the QR-code system to fight racism in the stands. They launched the project with the slogan ‘Not with us’. In total, 24,000 QR-codes will be placed around the stadium to allow fans to report incidents and the club to identify culprits. Club Brugge’s in-house rules stipulate that racists will be slapped with a two-year stadium ban.
The new system will also help stadium stewards who have specifically been tasked to track down racist behaviour – they are identified by black bibs. The system could be rolled out across the Belgian league if successful.
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“We were well aware of the plans and are happy with them,” said new Pro League CEO Lorin Parys. “We are consulting Club Brugge about their experiences with the new system during the play-offs. With the Pro League, we constantly pick up good examples to share with other clubs, in order to stop this kind of behaviour in stadiums.”
