A court in Charleroi has suspended the stadium ban imposed on the Storm Ultras, a group of Sporting de Charleroi supporters.
The ultras can now return to the stadium for the first round of the Europe Playoffs. In a statement, the group hailed the decision as a "victory for Charleroi supporters, and indeed for all supporters in Belgium and Europe."
Sporting de Charleroi stated they have yet to receive and review the court’s decision. Pierre-Yves Hendrickx, the club's administrative director, noted that the judgement enforces the club’s internal regulations for individual, not collective, infractions.
A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 14:00 between the club’s management and the concerned supporter groups.
The club had initially banned around 60 members of the Storm Ultras 2001 and Block 22 following match disruptions during a game against Union Saint-Gilloise in January.
Subsequently, 29 Storm Ultras members took legal action against the club’s decision, leading to the court’s suspension of the collective ban.
Sporting de Charleroi will kick off the Europe Playoffs at OH Leuven on Friday at 20:45, before hosting Standard de Liege on Sunday, 6 April at 19:15.
