Brawl at FC Luik-KVK Wellen Tie: Police Attacked, Fan Held
A brawl broke out among KVK Wellen supporters during the Belgian Cup match against FC Luik (RFC Liège) on Sunday afternoon, leaving several police officers struck and one supporter under arrest, according to VRT NWS. The violence flared just before the final whistle at the Stade de Rocourt in Liège, where the professional hosts eliminated the visiting amateur club 4-1 in the sixth round of the Croky Cup.
What Happened
Police moved in with tear gas as fighting erupted in the visitors’ section. Liège police spokesperson Jadranka Lozina confirmed that officers were caught up in the violence. “Several officers were struck during the brawl between the Wellen supporters,” she said. “One of our colleagues was injured and is now unfit for work for 3 days.”
According to VRT NWS, one Wellen supporter was arrested. As investigators analysed camera footage, a second suspect was identified, and Liège police said they would contact the Haspengouw police zone — which covers Wellen in Limburg — to trace and question further individuals. “The troublemakers will receive a stadium ban,” Lozina said.
Club Distances Itself
KVK Wellen chairman Dirk Ramaekers said the dispute began as a quarrel among a small group of travelling fans, two to four people, and escalated from there. “They exchanged words. A quarrel arose,” he told VRT NWS.
Ramaekers also criticised the police response, arguing it was disproportionate. “From what we could see, they overreacted somewhat, which caused it to escalate,” he said. He added that tear gas used during the intervention reached youth players standing nearby. “Youth players who were near got tear gas in their eyes,” Ramaekers said. Between 50 and 100 youth players were seated in the stand where the fighting broke out, out of roughly 250 Wellen supporters who made the trip.
In an official club statement issued on Sunday evening, KVK Wellen distanced itself completely from the events. “Such behavior has no place within our club and in no way aligns with the values KVK Wellen stands for,” the statement read. The club pledged full cooperation with the police investigation and said it would help identify those involved where possible.
KVK Wellen also stressed that the conduct of a small minority should not overshadow the behaviour of the vast majority of supporters, more than 99 percent of whom behaved correctly. “They came to cheer on their team and, together with our youth players, parents and other attendees, made it a beautiful football afternoon,” the club said. Ramaekers added: “This cannot and must not happen again.”
On the Pitch
On the field, RFC Liège proved too strong for the amateur side. Kylian Hazard opened the scoring before D’Ostillio doubled the lead, and Bruggeman and N’Salambi added goals after the break, as Voetbalkrant reported. Daniel Okoka Saka scored Wellen’s consolation goal in the 85th minute. The match itself was not stopped, and Wellen’s cup run ended with the defeat.
According to VRT NWS, FC Luik supporters were quick to help calm the situation. “They intervened to restore calm,” Lozina said — a detail that stands out in a fixture largely defined by a family-oriented amateur atmosphere rather than organised hooliganism.
A Test of Cross-Region Policing
The incident carries a cross-regional dimension: supporters of a Flemish amateur club from Limburg travelled to a Walloon professional club’s stadium in Liège. VRT NWS reported the story in Dutch, and KVK Wellen’s statement was distributed in Dutch, while the police response fell to Liège authorities working in cooperation with the Haspengouw zone on the Flemish side.
The Croky Cup, Belgium’s national football cup, held its sixth round — the round of 64 — over the weekend of 26–27 September. The draw for the round of 32 was scheduled for Monday afternoon.
What’s Next
With one supporter arrested, a second suspect identified from CCTV and further names expected through the Haspengouw police zone, the investigation is ongoing. The immediate questions are how many individuals will ultimately face measures and whether stadium bans alone will satisfy the club and its neighbours. For KVK Wellen, which described the trip to Liège as a historic moment for the club, the task now is to draw a line under an evening that a small group turned sour — and to show, as its chairman put it, that this “cannot and must not happen again.”