UEFA Hits Lens With Two-Match Fan Ban After Play Is Halted by Flares

French club RC Lens have been hit with a UEFA ticket ban for two Champions League away matches after their supporters lit and threw flares during a match against Club Brugge, disrupting play and raising safety concerns.

UEFA’s appeals judges ruled on Tuesday that Lens must not sell tickets to its fans for away fixtures against RB Leipzig on November 24 and Liverpool at Anfield on January 27. The club has also received a ban for a third away game, which has been suspended for a two-year probationary period.

The disciplinary action follows incidents during Lens’ Champions League match against Belgian side Club Brugge last week. Supporters lit dozens of flares and threw some towards rival fans and onto the pitch, forcing officials to temporarily halt the game. Lens eventually suffered a 3-0 defeat.

The incident was particularly serious because Lens were already serving a probationary period imposed by UEFA after their supporters set off flares and fireworks during an earlier Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague in September.

UEFA also fined the French club 80,000 euros (approximately $89,000) over the latest incident. The charges included the lighting and throwing of pyrotechnics, as well as acts of damage.

The ruling comes as European football authorities continue to take a strict approach to the use of flares and other prohibited devices in stadiums, citing the risks they pose to players, spectators and match officials.

For Lens, the punishment means their supporters will be unable to attend two major away fixtures in the competition. The ban will affect the trip to Leipzig in November before extending to the high-profile encounter with Liverpool at Anfield in January.

The suspended third-match ban also leaves the club facing the prospect of further sanctions if similar disciplinary problems arise during the two-year probation period.