Club Brugge traveled 6,000 miles to play Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty in the Champions League on Tuesday, winning 4-1, but the trip wasn’t all that successful for three fans.
3 fans inspired by Borat (Image: X)
Three Club Brugge fans in Kazakhstan have been jailed for five days for dressing up as the fictional character Borat. Belgian giants Brugge made the long trip to Kazakhstan on Tuesday to play against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League.
The visiting team won 4-1, keeping their hopes of advancing to the last 16 through the playoffs. However, the trip of their three supporters was not very successful.
After completing the 6,000-mile journey to the city of Almaty with around 500 fellow Bruges fans, the trio decided to wear Borat’s iconic green mankini underneath their regular clothes. The role of a clumsy Kazakh reporter known for his clumsy interactions is played by British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who has appeared in two films, the most recent of which was released in 2020.
According to Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen, three supporters took off their clothes, exposing their mankinis, in the 74th minute when Brugge were leading 3-0. Their fellow fans found it funny, but the Kazakh authorities did not understand the funny side of it.
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Fans were reportedly pulled from the crowd and immediately taken to a police station. “They did it for fun, but the police saw it as an insult,” a friend of the three said. “Today (Wednesday) they were sentenced to five days in prison. They will therefore be kept in custody until Sunday.”
“It’s really serious. They just dressed up in Borat costumes and didn’t do anything. Previously they could be contacted by phone, but during that time they had to hand over their cell phones.”
The friend said the three were doing “okay under the circumstances”, adding: “We still don’t know how they will get back home. We have contacted the Belgian embassy here but so far nothing can be done.”
In response, Astana Police issued a statement: “On January 20, during a soccer match, three men behaved in a disrespectful manner that disrupted public order. Police officers detained three foreign fans and took them to the police station.”
Police added that proceedings have been initiated regarding public drunkenness and minor hooliganism. The court has reportedly already handed down its verdict.
The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on the matter. “We are closely monitoring this matter with the embassy in Astana,” they said. “We are providing the necessary consular assistance to our compatriots. However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide further information.”
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