Ten FC Twente rioters have been punished following the riots surrounding the home match against Hammarby IF. Among them is a former chairman of supporters' association Vak-P.

The image is still etched in the minds of many. A year ago, after FC Twente – Hammarby IF in the preliminary round of the Conference League, things got completely out of hand on the main stand in the Grolsch Veste.

Supporters of the Swedish club, who were in the home sections, were hit hard. One of them was so badly hurt that he is lucky to be alive to tell the tale. He was kicked and beaten several meters down.

On Wednesday, the FC Twente supporters were on trial in the court in Almelo. The men, from Almelo, Hengelo, Enschede and Denekamp, ​​were clearly captured by the cameras in the Grolsch Veste.

“A trail of violence has been left behind,” said the police judge. “Despite all the questions at the hearing, the reason has remained unclear. A few people talked about looking for sensation. Perhaps there is no legitimate reason to think of.”

The convicted, who have all confessed, include a former chairman of supporters' association Vak-P, a trained kickboxer and a student. Four men were sentenced to three months in prison.

The former chairman of Vak-P was given a community service order of 200 hours and a suspended prison sentence of one month. Community service orders of 240, 120 and 100 hours were also handed out.

'More dead than alive'

Next week, a large number of FC Twente hooligans will be on trial again. Seven men suspected of serious assault will then hear their sentence. The public prosecutor has demanded 4.5 months in prison against them.

The Swedish Hammarby fan they beat up was more dead than alive, as was revealed during the hearing last week. The man had a tube inserted into his throat so he could be intubated. He later suffered a cardiac arrest. He survived.

The man was kicked down the stairs and ended up in the canal among the FC Twente fans. “Without that tube in his throat, he would not have been alive anymore,” said the prosecutor. “How bad must that be? I fear that he is much worse off than we can imagine.”

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