Lens presents symbolic mine lamp to Club Brugge during border derby
On Tuesday evening, Club Brugge and RC Lens faced each other in an almost‑local derby, just 125 kilometers apart, with the French continuing their tradition with a symbolic gift for the Blue‑Black.
The atmosphere was already intense before kickoff: the Bruges supporters displayed a tifo celebrating the sporting conquest of Flanders, while the Lens fans set off pyrotechnic material. Both delegations were clearly ready for a confrontation that was more than a regular match.
The friendship tie between Club Brugge and Lille gave the duel extra charge; on both sides of the border people looked forward to this European confrontation. A few hours before the match the meeting between the two delegations was more relaxed, underscoring the mutual connection.
Lens' traditional gift
Joseph Oughourlian, chairman of RC Lens, handed over, according to tradition, an authentic miner's lamp and a shirt of the French club to Club chairman Bart Verhaeghe. This act is part of a custom that is observed at every European match of the Artésiens, and underscores the long‑standing bond between the clubs.
The miner's lamp as a symbol of the region
The lamp directly refers to the history of the area and features prominently on the club emblem, where it honors the generations of ‘black faces’ – the miners who once made up a large part of the audience. In that period the club was closely linked to the Compagnie des Mines, the mining company from the region.
Although the mining profession virtually disappeared from the Lens area from the 1960s onward, the lamp has always remained present in the logo. Today it stands as a symbol of the identity, origin and working‑class mentality of the Sang et Or.
New players receive, upon their arrival in Lens, a miner's lamp as well, and around Sainte‑Barbe, the miners' holiday on 4 December, the club pays tribute to that past with special shirts.