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Thursday, 24 April 2014 - 10:29
Ajax fans banned from Feyenoord
In the next three years, Ajax will also keep its supporters at home if there is an away game with Feyenoord. The club managers are punishing their own supporters in this way for their hooliganism during the lost cup final against PEC Zwolle in De Kuip stadium.
The games between Ajax and Feyenoord have been played without supporters of the visiting club since 2009 after multiple confrontations between the two groups.
Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmeb Aboutaleb, has said that he has not yet determined whether no Ajax supporters are allowed back to the Kuip. He still wants to explore all the options with Amsterdam, Ajax, Feyenoord and all the supporters associations.
Last weekend, some Ajax supporters threw fireworks on the field twice during the first half of the cup final between PEC Zwolle, interrupting the match for almost half an hour.
Now, the Amsterdam club management's decision to ban supporters from spectating at away games in Rotterdam for the next three years falls on understanding ears with Feyenoord. "We get the standpoint of Ajax, but at the same time we also want to get the time to - as promised - discuss everything calmly with the local triangle here in Rotterdam", a spokesperson from Feyenoord said. The spokesperson also said that it is still being discussed whether Rotterdam fans will be taken to Amsterdam or not.
The ban on supporters at away games, that was introduced in February 2009, will expire this year. It seemed that the coming football season would see Ajax v. Feyenoord matches visited by supporters of both teams.
The antics of last weekend changed this, however. Ajax decided Wednesday to extend the ban three years. Feyenoord has not made a decision yet. "Suppose we do want to take supporters with us, then we also need Ajax. That comes later. In a couple of weeks we will have negotiations again with the triangle, then we'll discuss what the possibilities are for the future."
Ajax supporters association SVA reacted with disappointment. "However naive it sounds, the SVA keeps striving for normalization. Regrettably, well-meaning supporters are the victims of the behavior of a small group that is ruining it for the rest. If it were up to us, there would be culprit-targeted action, and not collective punishment."