Antwerp supporters will be allowed to attend Saturday's away match at Standard Liège. The city authorities in Liège overturned a previously imposed ban on visiting fans on Saturday afternoon.
Liège police had decided against opening an away section following a risk assessment on Friday. Based on new information and guarantees from the involved parties, mayor Willy Demeyer's office reached a different conclusion on Saturday. Kick-off at Stade Maurice Dufrasne is scheduled for 20:45.
Royal Antwerp FC had reacted strongly to the initial prohibition. The club described the measure as "unprecedented and deeply disrespectful to the more than 1,000 fans expected to travel to Liège". Antwerp warned it would set a dangerous precedent. "Allowing local authorities to decide, so close to kick-off, whether supporters are welcome would open the door to arbitrary decisions," the club said.
Mark van Bommel's side heads into the match amid a difficult run. Antwerp currently sit 11th in the Jupiler Pro League with seven points from six games. Their last five league results read LLLDW, with a 3-1 defeat at Club Brugge being the most recent. The next fixture is a home game against league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise on Sunday, 20 September. The current standings show Antwerp trail the leaders by nine points.
The original report is at brusselstimes.com
