Club Brugge were in Kazakhstan to play against Kairat Almaty in a UEFA Champions League match.
Published January 22, 2026
A Club Brugge supporter wearing a “mannekini” made famous by the satirical character Borat during Club Brugge’s Tuesday Champions League match against Kairat Almaty has been sentenced to five days in prison in Kazakhstan for showing disrespect, Belgian media reported on Thursday.
The three were arrested in the stands at the Astana Arena wearing swimsuits worn by British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in the film Borat!. “Learn American culture for profit” Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan mocks Kazakhstan and the United States.
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More than 500 Club Brugge supporters traveled some 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) to watch Tuesday’s match in the stands, stripping off their flimsy luminescent green costumes before being taken away by police.
A statement from Astana police, reported by Belgian media on Thursday, said: “During a soccer match, three men behaved in a disrespectful and disruptive manner to public order.”
“Police arrested three foreign fans and took them to the police station.”
Police also said administrative proceedings were initiated for public drunkenness and minor hooliganism. They were sentenced to five days in jail on Wednesday.
Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation. “We are providing the necessary consular assistance to our compatriots. However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide further information,” the group said in a statement.
Baron Cohen’s portrayal of Borat, a fictional journalist from the former Soviet Union, reflects Western stereotypes about the Central Asian nation, while satirizing the United States’ attempts to trick politicians and others into compromising itself.
The 2006 film sparked outrage in Kazakhstan, with authorities halting screenings of the film and threatening legal action for what it considered an insult to national character. However, for the 2020 sequel film, the country adopted Borat’s catchphrase, “So nice!” To promote tourism.
