Brugge player dropped for Champions League game after bus seat row

Club Brugge forward Emmanuel Dennis stormed off the bus after being told he was not allowed to sit in his preferred seat due to social distancing measures.

Brugge manager Philippe Clement said in his pre-match news conference on Monday that Dennis was fit but unavailable for selection due to disciplinary reasons.

A squabble over seating arrangements on the team bus cost Club Brugge forward Emmanuel Dennis a place in the squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash at Borussia Dortmund, Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported.

The 23-year-old Nigerian stormed off the bus after being told he was not allowed to sit in his preferred seat due to social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said, and he did not make the trip to Germany.

Brugge manager Philippe Clement said in his pre-match news conference on Monday that Dennis was fit but unavailable for selection due to disciplinary reasons.

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"He didn't follow the club's rules, that's all I want to say about that... I prefer to concentrate on the players who are available to me," Clement added.

Dennis, who joined Brugge in 2017, scored twice in its 2-2 Champions League draw at Real Madrid last season.

He also netted in the Belgian club's victory over Zenit St Petersburg in its opening group match in Europe's elite club competition this season.

Brugge are third in Group F with four points from three games, behind leader Dortmund and Italy's Lazio.