75 people arrested around Feyenoord-Union Berlin match

The police arrested 75 people during and after Feyenoord's home match against FC Union Berlin. The police arrested the largest group, consisting of 59 German fans, in the Rotterdam district of Lombardijen. According to a police spokesperson, the group was looking for a confrontation with Feyenoord fans.

"The fans had all kinds of stuff with them that indicated they wanted to start a confrontation. They walked a certain route in the Lombardijen district on their way to Feyenoord bars. That was enough reason for us to arrest the group, in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service," said the police spokesman. The detainees were taken to a police station. They have since been released.

The police arrested the other sixteen mainly before the match. They are suspected of various offenses, including vandalism, insult, and possession of fireworks. Whether any of them are still in custody is unclear.

Tensions rose in the vicinity of De Kuip when, among other things, a group of hundreds of German supporters walked in a procession from the Oude Haven towards the stadium. The riot police accompanied the procession. When they became too spread out, the riot police asked the leading group to wait so that the group stayed together. "That did not go down well, and the leading group started attacking the riot police," said the spokesperson. The riot police then restored order by hitting back with batons, the police said.

The riot police received help from a police dog, which bit three Berlin supporters and a riot police officer unintentionally. Paramedics checked and treated all four of them, and none had to go to the hospital. The German fans were arrested after their medical treatment.

Because the march from the Oude Haven took a long time, part of the group of supporters had to wait in front of the stadium to enter. While waiting, the supporters set off fireworks. A police horse was startled, causing the horse and officer to fall and suffer minor injuries.

In the run-up to the Conference League match, an incident also occurred in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening. A group of hooligans attacked a delegation of the German club in a bar in the city. The delegation of 25 people, including chairman Dirk Zingler and board member Oskar Kosche, got chairs and glasses thrown at them. One woman from the German group suffered minor injuries and had to go to the hospital.

Feyenoord won 3-1 against the number 5 of the Bundesliga on Thursday evening in De Kuip.