Football Bundesliga team Union Berlin will probably have to completely do without the support of its fans on site in the last preliminary round away game of the Europa League.

As 1. FC Union Berlin announced on Tuesday, a ban on entering the city of Leuven and the surrounding area was imposed by decree of the mayor before the match at Belgium’s vice-champion Union St. Gilloise on Thursday (9pm/RTL+) “in order to prevent Union supporters without tickets from possibly travelling there”.

On the basis of this decree, the police will arrest Union fans “without a valid ticket in the urban area of Leuven and in the neighbouring sub-municipalities” between 3 November (from 10.00 a.m.) and 4 November (until 10.00 a.m.), the club statement continued. In addition, there will be an ID check at the stadium, and people “with German ID documents” will not be allowed to enter.

According to Union, the reason for the measure was “that the presence of German fans without a stadium ticket on the streets, in the vicinity of the stadium or in the city centre could disturb public order”. UEFA had previously punished the club for the riots in the match at Malmö FF by banning them from the match.

Union president Dirk Zingler criticised the Belgian authorities’ measure, saying it was “disproportionate and wrong”: “Once again, they are not punishing the perpetrators, but many peaceful football fans.” In addition, he said, the decree “is also not in line with the UEFA ruling, which did not impose a travel ban on Union fans, but merely prohibited us as a club from selling tickets for the guest block in Leuven.”

Union, together with St. Gilloise, had made efforts in recent days to “find an organisational solution in the interests of the many enthusiastic Union fans who accompany our club throughout Europe”, explained Zingler: “Unfortunately, these efforts are no longer valid due to the ban on entry, an incomprehensible collective punishment. “