Hundreds of supporters of football club RSC Anderlecht donated to a fundraising campaign for Brussels restaurant Le Falstaff next to the Bourse in the city centre which was vandalised by hooligans two weeks ago.
The campaign yielded nearly €7,000 and all the proceeds will go to the destroyed restaurant. Lawyer Sven Mary will hand over the money and consult with the management of Le Falstaff.
“Hundreds of supporters have donated. Our core supporters backed the idea and we are aware that Le Falstaff is the only victim of the situation. We and the Swiss are not," the supporters told La Dernière Heure. "We would like to apologise once again to this renowned establishment."
The crowdfunding was set up last week to compensate for damage to Le Falstaff, which was destroyed a week earlier during a fight between RSC Anderlecht and the Swiss Young Boys Bern supporters on the day before the two clubs faced off in the European Conference League.
The vandalism, in which about 30 masked men threw tables and chairs through the window of the eatery, was reportedly the result of an earlier clash on 17 August between supporters of both teams when they played in the Swiss capital Bern.
Following the fight in Brussels, the Anderlecht supporters contacted the well-known lawyer Sven Mary, who is their usual legal counsel and has strong ties to the club.
“Currently, we have contacted Le Falstaff in writing. We intend to sit around the table with the management and possible lawyers to make a cost estimate of the damage," Mary explained, adding that it is important to look at all the damage, and determine which share of it was caused by the Swiss Young Boys Bern supporters.
