Morocco Match Paid Entry Discrimination Brussels Bar

Yassine, 29, doesn’t understand. This Moroccan supporter from Schaerbeek claims to have discovered on Saturday that a Brussels bar he has frequented since the start of the World Cup was charging entry to watch Morocco-Canada.

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According to his testimony cited by SudInfo, a sign displayed at the entrance indicated an access fee of 10 euros, without drinks included. The young man refused to pay and preferred to find another place to watch the match.

After Morocco’s victory, he passes by the establishment again. The sign would have disappeared, just before the broadcast of the France-Paraguay match, accessible for free. For him, this difference in treatment is problematic.

"They make it paid just for Morocco’s matches," denounces Yassine, who believes the measure targets Moroccan supporters in Brussels. He claims to have questioned the bouncer, who allegedly told him the decision came from management.

The bar did not respond

The supporter explains that he initially thought all matches would become paid. But according to him, entry was free again Monday evening for Spain-Portugal. He plans to return to the same bar Thursday to verify if the rule will be applied to the Morocco-France match.

Contacted by the media reporting his testimony, the establishment did not respond. The question therefore remains: why would entry have been paid for Morocco-Canada and not for other matches?

From a legal standpoint, charging bar access for an event is not prohibited. Matthieu Léonard, president of Horeca Brussels, recalls that an establishment can charge an entry fee, particularly if it plans additional staff or broadcast-related expenses.

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But Yassine’s accusation focuses on another point: the supposed application of this rule only to Morocco’s matches. It is this difference in treatment that he considers discriminatory and that he now wants to document during the upcoming matches of the Lions of the Atlas.