Rioting by FC Utrecht fans means team will play next home match in an empty stadium

No spectators will be allowed in the stands at FC Utrecht's next home football match in the Eredivisie. Mayor Sharon Dijksma decided to impose the measure in response to rioting by the team's supporters on Sunday when the FC Utrecht was lost out on the chance to play in European football next season.

"I am aware that this is unique, but given the situation last Sunday, this is an appropriate measure. Also, I will not hesitate to disallow an audience at other matches if this situation repeats itself," Dijksma wrote on Monday in a letter to the City Council. According to the mayor, FC Utrecht understands the reason for the decision.

Additionally, nets must be hung on the sides of the away section in the FC Utrecht stadium. These should prevent them from throwing fireworks and other items back and forth.

Dijksma is considering measures against a café near the stadium where a group of rioters are said to have gathered. Just outside the stadium is a slate plateau. Those stones will be removed because the rioters took them from the street to throw as weapons. The municipality wants to recover the costs.

FC Utrecht lost to Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday, and therefore did not qualify for the preliminary round of the Conference League. There was unrest in the stadium during the match, and riots broke out outside afterwards.

According to the mayor, Utrecht supporters threw a variety of objects at riot police, like "large rocks, manhole covers, gutters, bicycles, fireworks and all the material that was available on the street." Two people from the Utrecht region have been arrested.

One officer ended up in a hospital after losing consciousness, according to Dijksma. The mayor says she met with officers on Sunday. "The pressure on our officers has been enormous for weeks and the sum of the physical and verbal violence they constantly have to deal with is taking a very heavy toll on them." Dijksma has therefore appealed for calm. "It is really essential to find calmer waters together, because this situation is no longer sustainable. We can no longer sustain this together."

It is not yet known when FC Utrecht will play its first home match and who the opponent will be. The first round of the Eredivisie will take place on August 9, 10 and 11, with the second round a week later.