Club Brugge fans jailed for impersonating Borat in Kazakhstan

Club Brugge were in Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

Club Brugge ‌supporters who wore “mankinis” made famous by the satirical character Borat for ‍their team’s Champions ‍League clash against Kairat Almaty on Tuesday have been jailed in Kazakhstan for five days for showing disrespect, Belgian media reported on Thursday.

The trio were arrested in the stands at the Astana ⁠Arena in the swimwear, which was worn by English actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ​in his film: Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit ‍Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which mocks Kazakhstan and the United States.

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More than 500 Club Brugge supporters made the journey of almost 6,000km (3,700 miles) to watch Tuesday’s tie ‍with the trio ⁠in the stands, stripping down to the flimsy luminous green costumes before being taken away by police.

“Three men committed acts during a football match that showed disrespect and disturbed public order,” said a statement from the Astana police, reported by Belgian media on Thursday.

“Police officers arrested three foreign fans and took them to a police station.”

The ​police also said that administrative proceedings had been ‌initiated for public drunkenness and minor hooliganism. They were sentenced on Wednesday to five days in jail.

Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was monitoring the situation. “We are offering our compatriots ‌the necessary consular support. However, for privacy reasons, we cannot provide any further information,” its statement said.

Baron Cohen’s ‌portrayal of Borat, a fictional journalist from ⁠the former Soviet state, plays into stereotypes held by Westerners about the Central Asian country while satirising the United States, where Borat tries to trick politicians and others into compromising themselves.

The ‌2006 film caused anger in Kazakhstan, where authorities discouraged its screening and threatened legal action over what they saw as an insult to its national character. ‍But for a follow-up film in 2020, the country adopted Borat’s catchphrase “Very Nice!” to try to promote tourism.