Feyenoord completely screens field with nets: ‘Making world a little better’
NOS Football–
Feyenoord have decided to place nets around the entire pitch at all remaining home matches in the premier league this season, starting Sunday against RKC Waalwijk.
In the Cup semifinals Wednesday night against Ajax, one side had been left open at De Kuip because of TV coverage, and that is precisely where things went wrong. Ajacied Davy Klaassen had an object thrown at his head from the stands, forcing a temporary stoppage of the match.
Lock: ‘Making the world a better place’
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot again expressed his disgust at misbehavior by supporters Friday afternoon at a press conference ahead of the game with RKC.
He would love it if this behavior could be eradicated within soccer as well as in normal life. “Because that problem is at least as big, I dare say.”
“Not only me as a coach, but all of us have the task of making the world a little better.”
Feyenoord coach Slot: ‘All have role to make world a little more pleasant’
“For every human being there is a limit, not only here in the stadium but also off the field,” Slot said. “You’d be incredibly happy if we could flush society backward ten, twenty years in terms of how we treat each other. But that is unfortunately not possible.”
Tightened measures KNVB
From now on, a match will be permanently stopped if a player is hit by an object from the crowd. If no one is hit, players and referees will go to the dressing room on the first occasion and the game will be temporarily stopped. On a second occasion, the game will be stopped.
Penalties are also handed out if a supporter enters the field. “The field is sacred,” said KNVB director Marianne van Leeuwen.
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Asked about a connection between the behavior of players on the field and that of supporters in the stands, Slot did note something. “I think certainly at the moment when there is a riot on the field, emotions can also be seen in the stands. If that riot between Kokcü and Tadic had not happened on the pitch, I estimate, nothing would have been thrown onto the pitch at that moment either.”
“But a riot is not a license for a supporter to throw anything on the field,” the coach further emphasized.
