RC Lens have made the decision to punish their own fans, banning them from filling the away end for Friday’s derby away to Lille OSC.

Les Sang et Or have already been prohibited from filling their away allocation for visits away to RB Leipzig and Liverpool in the Champions League, it was announced by UEFA earlier this week. That measure is a response to the scenes in Bruges last week. The match between Lens and Club Brugge, which ended in a 3-0 win for the Belgian side, was briefly paused as the away fans lit pyrotechnics and firecrackers, throwing them towards the pitch and the home fans.

In a statement, Lens said that the behaviour in the away end “crossed a red line”. It added that “a drama was narrowly avoided”, revealing that a steward was almost set alight.

In a lengthy and strong-worded statement, the club confirmed that the measure had been taken to prevent away fans from making the short trip to Lille on Friday. Later, it was announced by the Prefecture that away fans could not attend the game at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. This renders Lens’ earlier ban inconsequential, ultimately, but a statement has certainly been made by the club.