Three Club Brugge fans who dressed up as Borat for their 4-1 Champions League win over Kairat Almaty have been given short prison sentences.
The trio were seen in the crowd wearing green ‘mankinis’ during the win away in Kazakhstan, referencing Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 film which was extremely offensive towards the country.
Belgian outlet Niewsblad claim the trio didn’t make it until the end of the match on Tuesday and were pulled out of the crowd and taken to jail.
They have been given five days in detention, as their friend Matthieu told the outlet.
“They did it for fun, but the police considered it an insult,” he is quoted as saying.
“Today (Wednesday) they got the verdict: five days in jail. So they’re in custody until Sunday.
“It’s really serious. They didn’t do anything more than wear a Borat costume.
“They’re doing well considering the circumstances. Until now, I was able to contact them by phone, but in the meantime, they’ve had to hand over their cell phones.”
In the Kazakh press, the Astana police responded with a statement, saying: “On January 20, three men committed acts during a football match that showed disrespect and disturbed public order.
“Police officers detained three foreign fans and took them to a police station. Administrative proceedings have been initiated for public intoxication and minor hooliganism.”
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