Rotterdam: No Feyenoord match without police protection

The city of Rotterdam banned the Eredivisie match between Rotterdam Feyenoord and SBV Vitesse scheduled on Sunday, the Dutch football association KNVB reported on Thursday. Police in a tenuous contract negotiation with the Ministry of Security and Justice planned a short strike on Sunday, refusing to guard the event. Rotterdam decided to block the event to protect the safety of the fans and the public order in and around the stadium, the KNVB said. The football association is now forced to remove the match from the program and reschedule it for another, as-yet unannounced time. The football association said the situation is regrettable, and had hoped the fans, players, and clubs would not bear the brunt of the stalled contract talks. Early talks already started between the KNVB and the two teams to find a suitable date. Keeping the home and away matches in rhythm, equal amount of matches and maximum rest between them are the main principles in selecting a new date before the final round of the league starts on May 17th. A decision from the KNVB on a new game date is expected on Friday.