Stadium ban lawyer in Belgium
The Act of 21 December 1998
The Act of 21 December 1998 on safety at football matches governs the penalties for spectators and supporters who disturb public order in and around football stadiums. The Act applies from professional football down to third-division amateur level.
An administrative stadium ban can range from 3 months to 5 years. Procedures are subject to strict time limits. Everest Sports Law assists you from the moment the police draw up the initial report right through to the appeal.
Free consultationProhibited acts (Art. 20–23ter)
Throwing objects
Throwing projectiles or objects without justification in or around a football stadium is prohibited and can lead to criminal prosecution as well as an administrative stadium ban.
Unauthorised access
Unauthorised entry into secured perimeters or zones reserved for players, officials or security services. This also applies to supporters already subject to a stadium ban who are nonetheless present.
Failure to comply with steward instructions
Refusal to comply with instructions from designated stewards or security services. The Act grants stewards extensive powers within the security zone.
Incitement to violence or hatred
Inflammatory statements or conduct that incite violence or discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, origin or religion, including through chants, banners or other forms of expression.
Possession of pyrotechnics
The possession or use of fireworks, flares or other pyrotechnic material in or around a football stadium is prohibited and can result in severe sanctions.
Sanctions, procedure and what a stadium ban lawyer does
Administrative sanctions
Fines from €50 to €5,000 and an administrative stadium ban of 3 months to 5 years. A perimeter ban also applies outside the stadium during matches. The competent judicial police officer draws up a report and notifies the public prosecutor’s office.
Procedure & defence
After the police report, the person concerned has 30 days to respond. There is a right to an oral defence. Everest Sports Law ensures your response is legally well-founded and that your rights are protected to the fullest extent. An appeal can be lodged with the competent court.
Civil-law stadium ban
In addition to the administrative ban, clubs can also independently impose a civil-law stadium ban under their internal regulations. This is a private-law measure separate from the criminal procedure. Everest Sports Law advises you on its validity and the possibilities for contesting it.
After the ban: what you can still do
A stadium ban is an administrative decision, and an administrative decision can be contested.
Answer the notice, and answer it in time
Before the sanction falls you normally receive a notice that sets out the facts and invites your written defence. That is the cheapest moment to correct the file, and many people let it pass. Put your version on paper, add what supports it and send it within the period stated. If a ban has already been imposed, read the decision at once for the appeal route and the deadline it names.
The identification is often the weak point
Most files rest on camera images, a steward report and a police report drawn up in a crowd, at a distance and under time pressure. Whether you are the person shown, and whether the conduct described really matches what the images show, is a genuine question and not a formality. We go through the file image by image and we test whether the recorded facts support the sanction imposed.
A ban from the club is a different thing
Alongside the administrative ban, a club or the Royal Belgian Football Association can bar you on a civil basis, through the conditions attached to your ticket or your membership. That route has its own procedure and its own remedies. The two can run at the same time and they do not always reach the same result, so check which one you have actually received before you respond.
Frequently asked questions
How long can an administrative stadium ban last?
From three months to five years, together with a fine from 50 to 5,000 euro. A perimeter ban also applies outside the stadium during matches. The length has to be proportionate to what you are accused of, and that is one of the points we check.
I received a notification. How long do I have to respond?
Thirty days from the police report, and you have the right to an oral defence. Note the date you received it and keep the envelope. That date decides whether your defence is in time, not the moment you open the letter.
What goes into my defence?
Ask first for access to the file and to the police report. Collect footage, tickets, statements from whoever was with you and every document that clarifies your presence or your conduct. A defence that only denies weighs less than a defence with documents.
My club is imposing a ban of its own. Is that allowed?
That is a different measure. Alongside the administrative ban, a club can impose its own stadium ban on a civil basis, through its internal regulations or the conditions attached to your ticket or membership. That route has its own procedure and its own remedies, and both can run at the same time.
There is a criminal investigation as well. What does that mean?
The public prosecutor can prosecute the same facts alongside the administrative sanction. Those routes exist separately and do not always reach the same result. Align your defence across both before you give a statement.
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