Football Supporters’ Federation Wales
FSF Cymru fans’ embassy ,Issue 34
World Cup 2014 Qualifier.
Belgium v Wales
Tuesday October 15th2013
Kick off TBC
King Baudouin Stadium,Brussels
Information for the fans by the fans. FSF Help line number is
+447905 861 848
Welcome to Issue 34 of our FSF Cymru information booklet for Welsh fans. It has been a difficult campaign for
Wales but the fans have enjoyed some interesting trips. Belgium is almost a local derby for Welsh fans and it is
an easy country to travel to, so we expect a large following from the Principality for this game against the very
strong group leaders. There will be a capacity crowd hoping to see Belgium qualify for Brazil, they are fortunate
to have many great players all coming through at the same time and have played some fantastic football during
the qualifying rounds.
HELP LINE +44905 861848
Neil Dymock
Vince Alm
Tommie Collins
FSF Cymru representatives will be on duty throughout the trip and based in the centre of Brussels, we will be around
and about the city based at the Apartment Anspach, Boulevard Anspach 145, Brussel District
Bruxelles, 1000,. We have contact with the British embassy and Welsh police…please ring our help line if you need
assistance.
FSF CYMRU HELP LINE +44905 861848
FSF CYMRU - by Wales fans, for Wales fans - an independent organisation, committed to helping Wales
supporters. FSF Cymru are proud members of FSE (Football Supporters Europe)
MISSION STATEMENT
To help and support Wales fans who travel away. Our role is to provide accurate and objective
information, including a Risk Assessment: we convey what other agencies, such as police forces,
government departments, and football authorities are recommending: we publish a comprehensive guide
which is distributed free of charge to all travelling supporters: we operate and publicise a 24 hour Hotline
for fans in difficulties: we arrange a Football embassy operation, at venues abroad, where we can offer
advice, guidance and support as necessary.
To work with the Football Association of Wales in all aspects affecting the fans, to ensure that the
supporters voice is heard.
A continuous, running dialogue is held with Mr Mark Evans, Head, International Affairs, we take
supporters complaints, views to the FAW for discussion
“To take every possible action to eradicate any inter club rivalry when fans are following the Welsh
national team”
Before you travel anywhere in the world outside of the United Kingdom please
visit the Know before you go website http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/ Foreign and
Commonwealth office
Getting around Brussels
The public transport network in Brussels is quite extensive and you will easily be able to go from one place to the
other using the metro, tram or bus, at least during day time (from around 6AM to 11PM)
The metro network consists of 4 lines:
Line 1 (magenta) Gare de l'Ouest/West station to Stockel
Line 2 (red) Simonis-Leopold II to Simonis-Elisabeth (circular, but interrupted at Simonis where the 2 directions are on
different levels)
Line 5 (yellow) Erasmus to Hermann-Debroux
Line 6 (blue, and "6" shaped) Simonis-Elisabeth to Roi Baudouin via Midi; The Heysel Metro Station is one of the
metro stations on line 6
Lines 1/5 intersect with 2/6 at Beekkant and Arts-Loi, while underground trams 3 and 4 link Midi with Nord via Bourse
and De Brouckère.
The third transport option is the bus and there are many routes across the city that run regular schedules throughout
the day and night buses after 11pm.
Brussels Metro
The Brussels Metro system (underground train) is of one the most convenient and fastest ways to travel to the main
destinations of the city centre. There are 4 metro lines and 2 tram lines that service the Brussels city centre. Metros
run frequently: every 3 minutes at peak; every 10 minutes after 8pm; every 5 minutes on weekends.
Purchase tickets at GO machines in the metro stations. Validate your tickets at the little machines before hopping on
the metro or you may be fined. Doors to metro trains and trams do not open automatically so be sure to pull the
leaver or press the button on the door before you miss your stop.
To orientate yourself at metro stations look for the info symbol when you alight and there will be a map of the street
above for you to determine which exit to take. These maps can also be seen at tram and bus stops and are very useful!
There are vending machines for drinks, snacks and prepaid mobile recharge at almost every metro station and
platform
Brussels Bus
Buses are convenient if your departure point or destination is not close to a metro station. Buses have timetables
which are available at each bus stop and also online but they do not run as frequently as the metro so it pays to check
the timetable before waiting at the bus stop. Tickets can be purchased from the driver at €2 for a 1 hour ‘jump’ ticket,
which can be used on the metro and trams as well. Tickets are cheaper when purchased at a metro the station.
www.stib.be
Brussels Tram
Trams are similar to the bus and metro except they are slightly slower than the metro and slightly more frequent than
the bus. It will depend on your route whether you should take a tram, a bus or metro to your destination. Tram lines
run along the street and sometimes on the same line as cars because there isn’t a lot of space on some narrow streets!
So watch out for cars as well as trams when crossing the road. Arrival times, departure times and stops are shown at
each tram stop. There are also convenient street maps at each stop.
The Heysel Metro station (opposite) Tickets can be
bought from a large number of outlets, including
newsagents and some supermarkets, and are valid on
all three services. It is cheaper to buy tickets from other
outlets rather than from the driver. There is an
automated service, Go, which can be found in every
metro station.. Trams can be entered by any door, but
on buses passengers must enter through the front doors
so that the driver can check or sell a ticket, which must
still be validated afterwards. Ticket prices vary and
depend on your routes but they start from under 2 Euro
for a single journey but if you intend travelling a lot then
a day ticket at 6.5 Euros is your best options. Fares and
options are available throughout the city
General information for Welsh fans in Brussels
Brussels city is quickly becoming a great destination for visiting soccer fans, even if the results don’t always favour the
visitors. Apart from its famous chocolates and beers there are many attractions that most visitors cannot begin to
imagine. It is a centre of European culture, officially nicknamed ‘the European Village’, with almost 90 museums, if you
are looking for culture or the more traditional football fare of bars , places to eat and exciting night life.
Languages spoken: French (official bilingual: French and Dutch)
The official currency is the Euro and there are plenty of ATM’s around the city to obtain currency
Useful words and Phrases
Making an effort to speak the language of locals is always welcomed. If you also happen not to meet anyone who
speaks English, then one or two of the phrases below could help you along. In French, pronunciation is important and
may not sound at all like the written form of the phrase. These basic phrases come with phonetic sounds in (brackets)
to help you begin.
Hello – Bonjour (bawn-jur) Goodbye – Au revoir (or rev-vua) Please – S’il vous plait (si vu play)
Excuse me – Pardon (par-dawn) Thank you – Merci (mear-si)
Do you speak English? – Vous parlez anglais? (vu par-lay awn-glay)
Do you have a table? – Vous avez une table? (vu-zavay oon tar-blur)
What is this? – Qu’est que c’est? (kes cur say) I’ll have… - Je prends… (jer prawn…)
Dish of the day – Le plat du jour (ler plar doo jur)
Bill please – L’addition s’il vous plait (la di-si-awn si vu play)
How much is this? – C’est combien? (say com-bi-awn)
Where are the toilets? – Où sont les toilettes? (oo sawn lay twa-let)
Where is…? - … c’est où? (… say oo?)
General information for Welsh fans in Brussels
Ticket information
Tickets are sold out but if you have any ticket problems
or you have arranged to collect the tickets in Brussels
please visit the Thon Hotel.
Hotel Thon Avenue De Boulevard 17 1210 Brussels
less than 1km from the Grand Place
Lucy Mason +44 7827 157874
Lynsey Owens +44 7788 310355.
The will be available on Monday from about 10am until
2pm and on Tuesday 10am until 4pm.in hotel Foyer
Metro in Brussels
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
The stadium is accessed quite easily from the nearby Metro station HoubaBruman (see metro map in this booklet) and Wales fans are housed in Upper
Tier, Tribune 2, starting from Block I and J.
Brussels
Brussels is the capital of Belgium , It is also the largest urban area in Belgium, comprising 19 municipalities, the
city has grown from a 10th-century fortress town founded by a descendant of Charlemagne, to a sizeable city.
The city has a population of 1.1 million and a metropolitan area with a population of over 1.8 million, both of
them the largest in Belgium. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels has seen a major shift to French since Belgian
independence in 1830. Today the city is officially bilingual, All road signs, street names, and many adverts and
services are shown in both languages.
There are so many bars and restaurants to chose from in Brussels its very difficult to pick any out but we suggest
you head for the Grand Place and areas around the impressive square. There is a metro close by that will get you
to the game on time. To drink in bars and eat out in Belgium, Brussels in particular, is not often cheap – most
lunchtime main courses in standard neighbourhood restaurants and cafés tend to be anything from €13 to €18, or
dearer – it will vary widely of course, but in general it’s not the same as the UK, where you could expect to find a
decent enough pub lunch for under £10; beers also can mount up the cost – often a bottle may be around €4 to
€5 for a ‘standard’ Belgian beer, especially in the main centre of town and touristy areas. So it can be handy to
have a have a few ideas in trying to keep to a budget.
Firstly, try to make sure your hotel booking includes breakfast. You might expect to pick up a croissant and coffee
fairly easily for about €4, but this isn't always the case – you may have to shell out around €8 each for a cup of tea
and a toasted bagel
Bar food – some bars will offer very limited hot bar food – for some reason Spaghetti Bolognese always seems to
be popular, and quite often this is a cheaper option (maybe around €8) Frites – there are a few fritures (fish and
chip shops or fried food shops) in the city centre,– one good example is FRITLAND on one corner of the square
around the Bourse stock exchange building. Look around and there are some reasonable deals to be add but the
more central you go, then the more expensive things can be.
British Embassy information for Welsh fans in Belgium
What a Consul can do:
Contact relatives and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets
Advise on how to transfer funds
Refer you to local Social Services
Help you to get in touch with Local Lawyers or provide information on legal aid.
Arrange for next of kin to be informed of accident or a death and advise on procedures
Contact and visit British Nationals under arrest or in a Prison and, in certain circumstances, arrange for
messages to be sent to relatives or friends
Give guidance on organisations experienced in tracing missing persons
Make representations on your behalf to the local authorities in certain circumstances
But a Consul cannot:
Intervene in court proceedings
Get you out of prison
Give legal advice or instigate Court proceedings on your behalf
Get better treatment for you in hospital or prison than is provided for Serbian nationals
Investigate a crime
Pay your hotel, legal, medical or any other bills
Pay for travel tickets for you
Undertake work more properly done by travel representatives, airlines, banks or motoring organisations
Obtain accommodation, work or work permit for you
The British Embassy can be found near the Metro
station called Schuman. The address is
Avenue des Nerviens 9-31 1040 Brussels
Appointments: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9am
to 12:30pm
outside these opening hours a consular emergency service is
in operation every day. Please contact us on +32 2 287
6211
Medical care whilst visiting Brussels
The Belgian State health care system is effectively a private system for which patients pay the costs
directly to the doctor/hospital (except in the case of surgery etc. where the bill goes directly to their
insurance company) and then reclaim part of it from their health insurance company. while visiting EU
citizens are covered for EMERGENCY care, under the same terms as locals, using the European Health
Insurance Card, EHIC (formerly E111).
Anyone else requires private health insurance - for tourists, as part of their travel insurance - if they
want to be able to recoup the possible costs, and EU citizens should have this too, to cover nonemergency care plus, if they want it, repatriation etc. Please get properly insured before travelling
Before you travel anywhere in the world outside of the United Kingdom please visit the
Know before you go website http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/ Foreign and Commonwealth
office
British Embassy information for Belgium
Please contact us at the FSF if possible before seeking Embassy assistance, we will be able to guide you
through the process.
The address of the British embassy is Avenue d'Auderghem 10, 1000
FSF Cymru help line number is +447905 861848
What to do if your British Passport is lost or stolen whilst in Belgium
It is vital you report a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible to the local police and to the British
Embassy ,even if you don't want to replace your passport immediately. This will reduce the risk of
someone using your passport or your identity.
When you report the loss or theft to the Embassy, they will give you a Lost or Stolen (LS01) Notification
form to fill in and sign. They will record the loss or theft of your passport and forward the information to
Identity and Passport Service. The IPS will then cancel your passport to reduce the risk of someone else
using your identity. You need to use form LS01 to report any loss or theft of your passport whether
applying for a replacement passport or not.
Once you report your passport as lost or stolen, it is electronically cancelled. If you find it, you will not
be able to use it as a proof of identity, nationality, or for any other legal purpose. You must not use it as
a means of identification as this may be detected as a potentially fraudulent act.
You will also not be able to use it for travel. Doing so may cause the passport to be impounded by the
Borders and Immigration Authority at UK ports or airports. If travelling overseas, you could face
deportation or arrest.
If your passport is lost or stolen the British Consulate in Brussels can issue an emergency travel
document that will get you home at a cost of approximately £95
An emergency travel document allows you to leave the country you’re in and travel to your destination via a maximum
of 5 countries.
The emergency travel document can also cover a return journey if you’re resident in the country you’re applying from.
An emergency travel document doesn’t guarantee entry to every country. You may also need a visa. Check with the
embassy or consulate of the country or countries you’re intending to travel to or through.
2 identical recent photographs of yourself - make sure they meet the rules for passport photo or your application will
be delayed
details of your intended travel plans - where and when you intend to travel (including countries you will travel through)
a completed application form
a police report if your passport has been lost or stolen
You will have to pay a fee, equivalent to £95. Embassy or consulate staff will tell how much this is in local currency
when you apply.
Getting your emergency travel document
The embassy or consulate staff will check that you’re eligible for an emergency travel document. If you’re not, they will
tell you why. Please contact FSF Cymru we will try to assist with this process
You may get the document on the day you apply if your circumstances are straightforward. If your circumstances are
more complex, it can take longer. You may need to change your travel plans.
Using your emergency travel document
The emergency travel document will only be valid for the journey that you specified when you applied and for a specific
period of time. This will be shown on the document.
Your existing British passport will be cancelled in most cases.
Immigration authorities may keep your emergency travel document when you arrive at your destination.
You will need to get a replacement passport when back in the UK if you intend doing anymore travelling and pay the
full costs, any fees that you paid for an emergency travel document will not be taken into account
Information for Welsh fans Courtesy of the British embassy in Brussels
1. Is there need to carry ID (Passport) with you at all times? YES
2. Does the embassy offer 24 hour cover? If so, contact details for duty officer.
YES – 00 32 2 287 62 11
3. Are there likely to be any Embassy officials present at the game?
Depends on the risk level of visiting fans
4. Are there many police stations in Brussels and is there a directory available (Police station where
English is understood)?
FSF Cymru has this information please call helpline +44 7905861848
5. Have you contact details and addresses for local hospitals?
FSF Cymru has this information please call helpline +44 7905861848
6. Are the any areas of Brussels that should be avoided? Any particular care needed in any area?
No, but best to keep to the touristic area’s
7. Is it ok to consume alcohol in the streets?
Not permitted and a potential 50 Euro fine could be imposed. However due to the circumstances the
police are tolerant, but will not tolerate unruly behaviour. Welsh fans should look after each other if
someone is miss behaving.
8. Is pick pocketing prevalent?
You should also be alert to the risk of petty theft , pickpockets and bag snatchers in crowded areas,
particularly near exchange shops, hotels, on public transport (especially to the airport), main railway
stations and inside airport terminals
9. Are there any local scams that we should be aware of?
Only the usual stuff in capital city’s
10. Are there any particular local laws we should be aware of?
No, just like any other European city
11. Is there segregation inside the stadium? Yes
12. Is there a segregation policy outside the stadium...re separate entrances? Yes
13. Are match programmes produced and available...what is the cost? Not sure
14. Is there a list of articles fans are forbidden to take into the stadium...can you smoke in the stadium?
Usual banned items are prohibited and you will be able to smoke.
15. What is the policy re admission drunk fans?
They will not get in!!!
16. Will Welsh fans be searched before entry? Yes
17. Will fans be kept in the stadium after the game has ended? Not normally
18. Are there any particular dangers around the stadium? No, it meets all European standards
19. Are there bars in the vicinity of the stadium, will they be open on match day?
Yes, but in the centre i.e. ”Grand Place” is one of the best places to be before the match and is a 25
minute metro ride.
20. Is alcohol sold in the stadium? No
Thanks to Gary Walsh |British Pro-Consul| British Consulate-General, Brussels
FSF Cymru Fans Embassy help line
+ 44 7905861848
Welsh fans news
Above we see some Welsh fans in Skopje (left). On the right three of the south Wales fans preparing for their road trip.
The Welsh fans football team pictured below, ready to play the fans of Macedonia
Last month the Welsh fans enjoyed a fantastic trip to FYR Macedonia, the weather was great and the locals
mostly friendly, just the result spoilt the visit, but Welsh fans don’t let that get in the way of a good time.
Our fans football team was back in action after their home win against Ireland, unfortunately they came unstuck
to a strong Macedonia fan team and lost 6-1, but new friends were made and that is the point of the games.
The trip itself also led to Welsh fans doing a drive from the Uk to Macedonia to raise money for good causes on
the route, Kevin “grapes Davies takes up the story…
“3 cars drove to Skopje with a total of 13 people travelling at various points over a 10 day trip.
The cars set of from North Wales South Wales and London; each car travelled different routes and we visited
children's homes and good causes across Europe with gifts of toys, sports kit and toiletries. Wherever we went we
asked what the children needed. In Mainz we gave them a bike to share and in Tirana we got a box full of
basketballs for the youngsters and a video camera for another charity to help the children tell their story. In
Skopje itself we bought a fridge to help the children keep and make food for other as well as a projector for the
home. We finally donated the cars to an organisation in Belgrade which works with young people in villages in
southern Kosovo.”
The car from South Wales started on Tuesday 27th August with 3 people - Tim Hartley, his son Chester and Kevin
Davies. John Jones joined them in Zagreb. 2 other people Eirian Jones and Louisia (Tim niece who worked in
Balkans previously had arranged some of the charity visits) joined for parts of the trip. They started from Cardiff
and went onto visit England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania,
Kosovo, Macedonia and finally Serbia. They along with the vehicle of Richard Jones donated their vehicles in
Serbia before flying home. The other vehicle driven by Jim Mason was donated in Greece.
Over £1100 was raised at the time of writing and further donations can be made at
http://www.justgiving.com/Rhys-Chester-Hartley
All those taking part paid for their own travel, accommodation and expenses along the way
Wear Red for Wales
Before you travel anywhere in the world outside of the United Kingdom
please visit the Know before you go website
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/ Foreign and Commonwealth office
Brussels, capital city of Belgium
Join the FSF for free please visit http://www.fsf.org.uk/
FSF Cymru Fans Embassy help line
+ 44 7905861848