Anyone travelling without a ticket were today warned: ‘We’ll arrest you!’
Northumbria Police have been asked by Brugge Police to warn fans off travelling without a ticket for the Europa League clash on Thursday, November 8.
Up to 8,000 Magpies fans were expected to head to Belgium, but the club has been given an alloocation of just 1,470 tickets.
Under UEFA rules, the home club is only obliged to allocate five per cent of its stadium capacity to the away team.
In this case, with the Jan Breydel Stadium able to hold 29,472, it has meant a small number of tickets for the Toon Army.
Commissioner Rudy Saron of Brugge Police, has provided the following advice for the travelling supporters:
1. If you do not have a ticket, please do not travel to Brugge.
2. Supporters without a valid ticket for the match will be prevented from travelling to the stadium, and anyone found in the vicinity of the stadium during the whole of matchday without a ticket will be arrested.
3. No tickets will be sold for the match after November 5 in any part of the stadium.
4. Any Newcastle United supporter found in any part of the stadium other than the allocated away fan section will have their ticket confiscated and be ejected.
5. If you are in a public place in Belgium (including inside a football ground) the law allows the police to demand official photographic identification such as a passport or drivers licence, etc. If you are not able to produce such you will be arrested and detained for 12 hours.
6. Newcastle fans in the segregated area will probably not be held back in the stadium at the end of the match, but fans in the Category One seats in the main East Stand will definitely be held back for a short period while the home fans in the adjoining areas leave first.
7. There will be a meeting point for NUFC fans in the Market Square in the city centre. It will be opened on matchday from noon to 6pm. NUFC fans will be able to get information about the town, the match and ask help for any problems they are faced with during their stay in Brugge.
8. The local police are willing to guide NUFC ticket holders for the fixture from the town centre to the stadium. A rendezvous point and a starting time will be announced well in advance on matchday itself via Twitter and other means of communication.
9. If NUFC fans want to go individually to the stadium they are advised to take a taxi to the Doornstraat (visitor’s entrance). They are advised not to make use of public transport.
10. The official coach parking at the stadium is only allowed for those who have registered with NUFC and the Police and have been given an official pass in advance.
11. Local police will provide twitter hash tags to communicate with fans. The two tags used will be: #politiebrugge and #CLUNEW
Chief Commissioner Daniel De Groote Federal Police has provided the following advice for Newcastle United Football Club fans travelling to Belgium:
1. If anyone arrives at any border control point in Belgium and they are drunk, under the influence of drugs or they are disorderly, they will not be permitted entry into the country.
2. If anyone arrives at any border control point in Belgium and they have alcohol in their possession it will be confiscated.
3. If any fans are intending to travel to Belgium and enter via the port of Zeebrugge as a foot passenger and subsequently travel to Brugge, they must pre-book their bus ticket through P&O Ferries at the port of Hull, as there are insufficient travel options to account for the number of foot passengers that are booked to travel.