The Classic between Feyenoord and Ajax on Sunday, December 19 will also be played without an audience, resigned Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced at Tuesday’s corona press conference. The corona measures were supposed to expire on Saturday 18 December, but have been extended by the caretaker cabinet until at least 14 January.
“The omikron variant is spreading a lot faster than the delta variant, which is really cause for concern,” said Rutte at the press conference. For the Eredivisie, the extension means that at least two more rounds must be played without an audience. For the Kitchen Champion Division there will be three rounds in which spectators are not allowed.
“As long as hospitals are full of corona patients, we will have to further reduce the virus,” said Rutte. The new omikron variant is spreading considerably faster than the delta variant. We will receive new advice about this from the OMT this week. One of the measures that we are continuing is that no public is welcome at sports competitions.”
Feyenoord expressed the hope on Monday for a Classic with an audience. “It would be bad if we didn’t,” a club spokesperson told the General Newspaper. “We are preparing for both scenarios so that we can switch quickly ‘just in case’. Hope is not given up yet.”
The extension of the so-called ‘evening lockdown’ also applies to amateur sport, as a result of which evening training and competitions cannot take place. Only amateur clubs that are still active in the cup tournament have an exemption to train in the evening.