Champion Feyenoord honored in Rotterdam: ‘Gives a lot of energy’
NOS News–
National champion Feyenoord has been honored on Coolsingel in Rotterdam. Players and staff were sung to and cheered by a large crowd of supporters. At 6 a.m. the first fans already gathered at the Rotterdam City Hall.
The inauguration began at the end of the morning with a performance by Lee Towers. Before that, the players and staff were received inside the Citizens’ Hall of the City Hall and addressed by Mayor Aboutaleb. “If Feyenoord becomes champions, the city hall is yours, the balcony is yours,” the mayor said.
“The city is connected to Feyenoord. This city derives much more identity from Feyenoord than from the Meuse River,” he continued. “We are proud of the championship, and it gives a lot of energy. And we agree: next year champion again!”
Then the players appeared on the balcony with the championship trophy. During the balcony scene, the players cheered shoulder to shoulder while being loudly chanted by the crowd. “These guys blew so many opponents off the field,” coach Arne Slot said. “I am incredibly impressed with you guys and how we celebrate.”
Full house
Coolsingel and the surrounding area were packed with fans. Just before 10 a.m., the council advised people who were still coming to go to Beurs or Hofplein. There was still room there and the inauguration could be seen on large screens.
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The Hofpleinfountain from above -
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Feyenoord players hang out the window before the inauguration -
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Feyenoord fans wait for the inauguration -
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Crowds on the Coolsingel -
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Fans arrived at the station early in the morning -
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Players arrive by bus for inauguration
Around 12:30 p.m., the final act of the tribute was for Lee Towers: You’ll never walk alone. Towers grabbed his golden microphone one last time, receiving vocal backing from all the supporters present. After that, Coolsingel poured empty.
Most of the specially equipped fan zones were full by mid-morning. A mere 140,000 supporters were counted on beforehand, but it was much busier.
Big party
Feyenoord took their first national title since 2017 yesterday. Already during the match yesterday there was a big party in the Rotterdam city center. It lasted into the late evening and generally went well, according to police.
Some supporters could not hold back their tears during the song:
Supporters emotional during ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’
