Rotterdam Feyenoord “annoyed” club is tied to aggressive asylum debate

Rotterdam football club Feyenoord and fans are annoyed that the club has been linked with the aggressive debate on a possible asylum center in the West-Brabant town of Steenbergen. They feel that there is no reason to do so and it puts the club in a bad light.

Steenbergen mayor Joseph Vost implemented an emergency decree before the meeting on Wednesday evening. The mayor and police announced that there were indications that some Feyenoord supporters were heading to Steenbergen to cause trouble. According to newspaper AD, the municipality and police would not comment on what information they acted.

Feyenoord regrets that the club's name has been connected to this situation. "It is unfortunately not uncommon to see the association made with Feyenoord, where there is no evidence", a spokesperson of the club said to the newspaper. "That protest has nothing to do with football and and so it is completely irrelevant whether they are football supporters, and if so, of which club. As club there is also nothing you can do about it, but the bad thing is that your name will again be negative in the news."

Several of the meeting attendees were wearing Feyenoord shirts and one of the speakers used to be a member of the supporters club FSV. But according to the club, that not mean anything. "Maybe these people are also members of the ANWB or book club, that is just as irrelevant." the spokesperson said, adding that just because you wear a Feyenoord shirt, does not mean that you are acting on behalf of the club.

Ron Smith, president of the Feyenoord supporters association FSV, calls it "too ridiculous for words" that the club has been dragged into this mess. "Of course we inquired about whether there were fans that were involved with this, but that seems not be the case." he said to the newspaper.