Police refuse to transport fans Cambuur and Groningen, empty box at PSV-Cambuur

The North Netherlands police are refusing to escort supporters of SC Cambuur and FC Groningen to away matches, following threats allegedly received. Cambuur’s away box will therefore remain empty next Sunday against PSV.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the mayor of Eindhoven, eventually made the decision to bar Cambuur’s 125 away fans. “I don’t want to receive supporters, who misbehave so much that police officers can no longer do their job,” he said.

Whether FC Groningen supporters will also be barred is unknown. Groningen plays Sunday in Alkmaar against AZ.

Ard de Graaf, Cambuur’s general manager, emphasizes that he disapproves of any form of threat, but regrets Dijsselboem’s decision, “It’s going much too far to punish a whole large group of well-intentioned supporters for that, and that’s what’s going on now,” reads a statement on the club website.

Mayor Sybrand Buma of the Leeuwarden municipality had also decided last month not to allow away fans at SC Cambuur’s home matches for the rest of this season. This because of persistent and increasing disturbances of public order around home matches.

Especially during the Frisian derby against Heerenveen things went wrong. Then during the match everything was thrown on the field. Afterwards, supporters of both teams sought confrontation, resulting in eight arrests.

Not everyone understood Buma’s decision to ban away supporters as a solution. Fans of Go Ahead Eagles, which lost 4-1 last Sunday, protested Sunday in Leeuwarden and a banner hung in the stadium calling on the mayor.