The Standard Liège forward Obbi Oularé has claimed he did nothing wrong, after the former Watford player was fined by Belgian police for holding a barbecue.

Oularé was slapped with a €250 (£218) fine for breaking restrictions on mass gatherings in the town of Hasselt, 60km from Liège. Police handed out five fines in the town for breaching coronavirus prevention regulations, Belgian media reported on Monday.

The former Belgium under-21 international confirmed the incident, but told newspaper Het Nieuwsblad that police were being overzealous. “We were not holding a party, but apparently the neighbours called the police,” Oularé said. “I don’t think I did anything wrong. I understand the police are doing their job but they mustn’t overdo it.”

The 24-year-old joined Watford from Club Brugge in 2015 but made just two appearances for the Hornets before returning to Belgium. Oularé has made three Europa League appearances this season, but did not feature in either of Standard’s games with Arsenal.

Like many other European countries, Belgium has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, with some 3,600 deaths recorded.