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Lens fans banned from Anfield after flare-throwing chaos forces Brugge match to halt

UEFA's appeals judges have barred Lens supporters from attending two Champions League away fixtures, including January's trip to Anfield, after fans lit and threw flares during last week's 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge.

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Lens fans banned from Anfield after flare-throwing chaos forces Brugge match to halt
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Lens supporters have been banned from travelling to Anfield for the club’s Champions League fixture against Liverpool on 27 January, after UEFA’s appeals judges ruled the French side cannot sell tickets to away fans for two games in the competition.

The punishment follows scenes at Lens’s Champions League match at Club Brugge last week, where supporters lit dozens of flares and threw some toward rival fans and the pitch, forcing a brief stoppage in play. Lens lost that game 3-0 and sit 27th in the league-phase standings with three points from three matches.

The ban will first be served when Lens visit RB Leipzig on 24 November, before applying to the Anfield fixture in January. A third game ban has been deferred on a two-year probationary period. UEFA also confirmed a fine of €80,000 (£67,000) for charges covering the “lighting and throwing of pyrotechnics as well as acts of damage.”

The ruling compounds Lens’s disciplinary record in Europe. The club was already serving a UEFA probation after fans lit flares and fireworks during a Champions League away game at Slavia Prague in September.

For Liverpool, the ban means January’s home fixture will be played in front of a one-sided Anfield crowd as Arne Slot’s side push for a place in the knockout rounds. Liverpool have taken maximum points from their opening three Champions League matches and currently sit third in the league-phase table, behind Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

Domestically, Liverpool have also been in strong form, losing just one of their first eight Premier League matches. A 2-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday moved them into fourth place, one point behind the Seagulls and six adrift of leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

Before the Lens fixture arrives in January, Liverpool face a busy schedule that includes a trip to Fenerbahce in the Champions League, a Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea, a Premier League meeting with Arsenal at Anfield, and a visit to Crystal Palace on 8 November.

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