Feyenoord violated privacy laws by recording supporters to fight racist chants

Feyenoord violated privacy legislation by not informing visitors of De Kuip about microphones installed above a section of fanatical supporters, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) concluded. Feyenoord installed the microphones early this year to record chants in the fight against racism in football, NRC reports.

The Rotterdam club is participating in a KNVB project to use modern techniques to ban racism and discrimination from stadiums. Following incidents of racist chanting, the police can often get hold of video images but have a harder time getting good sound recordings.

The KNVB, therefore, thought microphones a good idea. It initially attempted to record individual supporters, but that proved impossible. So now the focus is on recording groups, according to the newspaper.

But according to the privacy watchdog, citizens must always be informed if sound recordings are made of them. “It must also be clear for what purpose those sound recordings are made,” a spokesperson said to NRC. And Feyenoord did not inform visitors to De Kuip stadium.

PSV also installed dozens of microphones in its stadium in October last year. But as it has not used them to make recordings yet, the club sees no need to inform supporters about the microphones, according to NRC.