FC Twente director asks fans to stop singing homophobic songs

General director Paul van der Kraan pleaded with FC Twente fans to stop singing homophobic songs during matches. He responded to chants during the Eredivisie match against Heracles Almelo (2-2) on Sunday, when FC Twente fans briefly chanted, “It’s the gays from Almelo,” translated from Dutch.

“During the match, some FC supporters sang a song about gays. People were rightly disturbed by this and felt hurt,” Van der Kraan said on the FC Twente website on Friday. “I would like to ask our supporters to never sing songs about gays again.”

“It is reprehensible to insult and hurt people with a song. It doesn’t matter how it is intended or where it comes from. It just doesn’t fit and really adds nothing. Supporters of FC Twente are known for their repertoire of great songs. We don’t need these kinds of texts at all.”

No action was taken in the stadium because the chants ended quickly. The rules prescribe that the stadium speaker must warn fans in the event of mass or prolonged chants. The referee must stop the match if the chants don’t stop after two warnings. Perpetrators could face a stadium ban of up to 18 months.