Feyenoord Supporters Called Criminals After Fireworks Chaos

Valentijn Driessen has delivered a blistering verdict on the Feyenoord supporters responsible for the fireworks chaos at SC Cambuur on Sunday, calling them “criminals” and renewing his plea for an outright ban on away fans.

The cup tie in Leeuwarden had barely settled when it exploded into turmoil. After just 12 minutes, the referee halted play as a barrage of fireworks erupted from the away section in the South Stand. Cambuur later reported that it did not stop there: fireworks were also launched towards the pitch and into neighbouring stands.

The human cost is now becoming clear. In an official statement, Cambuur confirmed that five supporters were injured and “are not doing well”, suffering mainly from burns, hearing damage and eye injuries. The club stressed that all attention is currently on those affected and underlined the “enormous” sympathy felt throughout the organisation for the victims.

For Driessen, the line has been crossed once too often.

“They are simply criminals, of course,” the De Telegraaf football editor said, condemning those behind the organised display. He revealed he had spoken to someone who claimed the action was “for fun”. Driessen’s response was scathing: if this is what brings you pleasure, “you’re not right in the head.”

The incident has hardened his long-held stance. He wants the KNVB to act decisively and remove away fans from the equation altogether.

“I argue for it every time: stop with away supporters. Then you get rid of a whole lot of trouble,” he said, pointing to the recent Feyenoord v Ajax clash as an example. The match was played on a Saturday evening without Ajax fans present. “Lovely, isn’t it?” he remarked, suggesting the absence of away support reduced the risk of serious disorder.

One question in particular leaves him stunned: how did so many fireworks and flares make it into the Cambuur stadium in the first place?

The scale of the pyrotechnics points, in his view, to a major security failure. Driessen also understands why the authorities hesitated to clear the entire away section, noting that an evacuation could have triggered even more unrest. “If you then clear the place out, you might be bringing all sorts of misery on yourself. The mayor will naturally have taken that into consideration. Because it would have been very normal to clear out that section.”

Attention now turns to Feyenoord’s response. Driessen believes the club must meticulously identify who was in that away end and who slipped through the official channels.

“I think Feyenoord really need to look carefully at who was there,” he said, pointing out that under normal circumstances, away fans are registered through systems such as gold club cards. On Sunday, though, the section was “absolutely packed”, and Driessen suspects “a great many slipped through the net”.

Those unregistered fans, he argues, were the ones behind “those horrific scenes”.

The fireworks have long since fizzled out over Leeuwarden, but the fallout is only just beginning. The question now is whether this night pushes Dutch football to finally draw a hard line on away support, or whether the cycle of outrage and inaction continues until the next stadium is left counting the cost.