The fan violence in and around the stadiums in the Netherlands does not seem to stop. Things went wrong again on Friday evening, when Heracles Almelo supporters’ buses were pelted with stones after the Twente derby. A number of buses were damaged and several windows were smashed. According to Ron Jans, there is only one thing to do and that is from now on banning access for away supporters, he told Good morning Eredivisie.
During the match, fans of FC Twente were pelted by supporters of Heracles, after which it remained restless around the Grolsch Veste even after the match. For example, a nitrate bomb was thrown and buses with Heracles supporters had to pay the price. “We were together with the management yesterday (Saturday, ed.). It is very annoying, but from now on only a home audience will come to games,” said Jans. “Then you lose a lot of hassle and you can focus on other things. Something has to be done, because incidents happen every weekend. It’s not the ideal solution, but it would help a lot.”
Before the start of the Twente derby, FC Twente had stretched a net in front of the away section, to prevent everything from being thrown down in the home team’s kids’ section. However, that net was soon removed by Heracles supporters. It also went wrong after the game. “We were not even fifty meters away and then we saw that they were there,” a Heracles fan tells TC Tubantia. “They threw fireworks at the buses. When we passed, everything started to explode. It was all panic, children were crying, the curtains were fluttering, mothers were upset. It wasn’t fun anymore. Very sad.”
Bus operator Brookhuis from Oldenzaal, which supplied a large part of the buses to transport Heracles supporters, doubts whether coach companies will still be able to drive if the vandalism continues. “It will be three days before we have those new windows in.” And a bus that is not running produces nothing,” says Koen Ziemerink. “Who do we have to report to? Heracles is the client, but these were fans of FC Twente. But what can FC Twente do about it? People seem to have gone mad. As if they want to react.”