Feyenoord fans banned from attending Champions League match in Lille

Feyenoord will be playing their last match in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League against Lille in France without their supporters. The Rotterdammers were notified by the local authorities in France that their supporters will not be welcome at the match.

“The decision has followed many weeks of intensive discussions between the clubs and French authorities,” Feyenoord reported. “Feyenoord submitted a comprehensive plan on how the 2,000 away supporters would have been able to make the trip to Lille responsibly.”

The club contacted the European Football Association, UEFA, to speed up the process and make the travel of away supporters possible after they had waited a while for a response. “Despite this, Feyenoord were told today that the French authorities have banned the supporters.” Feyenoord are now considering their next steps.

FSV De Feijenoorder, one of the club’s fan groups, is very disappointed with the decision. “We have had intensive discussions recently with the management of Feyenoord and the Supporters Liaison Officer, the organization that guides supporters at away matches. None of this has led to the French adhering to the rules," said chairman Kees Lau in a response to the news.

The fan group is hoping that Feyenoord does not leave the matter at that. "The club ultimately has to make the decision," said Lau. "PSV has previously set a good example and ultimately won the case."

Lau is referring to the summary proceedings that PSV filed in October when the Eindhoven team was not allowed to bring fans to the away match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

PSV said that the French police’s reasoning was based on incidents involving supporters in the past, mainly surrounding the match against RC Lens a year earlier. PSV was angered by this as the club had already been punished for the trouble in Lens. The Eindhoven club won their case.