The hard core of KRC Genk has shared striking images on Instagram. A video shows how player Gerardo Arteaga celebrates with a flare, encouraged by the hooligans and his teammates. Earlier in the day, the Limburg derby between STVV and KRC Genk had to be stopped after the Genk ‘supporters’ threw flares on the field.
Referee Lothar D’Hondt had briefly stopped the match in the second half after Truiense fans had swung beer cups at Maarten Vandevoordt’s head. When the Genk supporters behind the goal of STVV keeper Jo Coppens also misbehaved and hurled one flare after another at the artificial grass of Stayen, the ref rightly stopped the match again for a while and sent the players inside. The match could still be completed, but unfortunately the Limburg derby was once again marred by misconduct by supporters, not for the first time by the way.
Video on Instagram
After the Limburg derby, Genk fans showed images of their bold approach on the Instagram account ‘Tribune Zuid’. How they headed towards Stayen, burned through the nets, took a seat on a ledge in front of the stands and threw flares through the destroyed nets towards the grounds.
They also posted photos together with Genk players in front of the team bus when it returned to the Cegeka Arena and a video with the retiring Arteaga, who was given Bengal fire in his hands, with the caption ‘Gracias por todo (thanks for everything)’ . Arteaga played his last match in the Genk shirt against STVV and will travel to Mexico on Monday, where he will play football for CF Monterrey.
KRC Genk announced that the club “100% condemns” the misconduct of some supporters and is investigating, in collaboration with STVV and the police, whether persons who misbehaved can be identified.
The video also shows how the fans burn through the nets and then throw flares onto the field. — © rr