hooligan since he was 15, he confides in “Additional investigation”

For him, “It’s a bit like a sport, a way of life”. Stéphane has been a hooligan since he was 15, and he agreed to testify, his face masked by a balaclava, for “Further investigation”. This Belgian forty-year-old with an imposing build is part of the Brussels Casual Service (BCS), around a hundred hooligans “old school” who support the Anderlecht club.

To his credit, thirty years of punishment, often in France, eighteen years of stadium ban, a total of 25,000 euros fine, according to him… “Not a lot of trouble,” therefore, and even a few weeks in prison “for fights”. Because the fight, the violence, like all those of the BCS, he likes it, confesses Stéphane, “but we understand that people don’t understand.”

To fight, “all opportunities” are good, but his preference is for group fights organized via encrypted messaging, out of sight. Like this confrontation in the forest against hooligans from Nancy, in which two of his friends from the BCS participated. For “Complement d’investigation”, Stéphane comments on the video, which has hundreds of thousands of views on the internet. “There are rules, but it is very limited: on the number, and a little on the age group. Otherwise afterward, everything is allowed”, he explains. And in fact, punches and kicks rain down even on those who are on the ground.

Who are these BSC hooligans? According to him, if we except “a few hotheads”, in majority “inserted people”who have a wife, children, a good job: “entrepreneurs, even a journalist… There’s a bit of everything, it represents society”believes Stéphane, who only deplores “lots of people drinking, and lots of cocaine.”

To hear it, it would be a question of “small confrontations”to which is added the pleasure of“a game of cat and mouse with the police”. “We don’t have the impression that we are doing any harm to society. The BCS, we are really hooligans, we don’t attack a supporter, normally. We don’t do any damage, we don’t break anything, we have really our rules. We only look for confrontations with hooligans.” Almost fair play fights, between willing hitters? “Additional investigation” also witnessed real lynchings… In France, 300 French supporters are currently banned from stadiums.

Extract from “Hooligans: bringing football back to reason!”, a document to be seen in “Additional investigation” on June 13, 2024.

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