FC Utrecht has apologized in a statement on the club’s website for the misbehavior of its own supporters in recent matches. The duels with Ajax (0-2 loss) and Fortuna Sittard (3-4) were both overshadowed by fans who, among other things, set off fireworks and threw Brian Brobbey onto the field in a racist manner. Various people have been arrested and registered for a stadium ban, the Domstedelingen report. In total, 19 people were sentenced.
The supporters of Utrecht already came under a magnifying glass after the duel with Ajax. After making the 0-2 jungle noises, Brobbey was thrown at him from the Bunnikside of Stadion Galgenwaard, where the fanatical supporters are located. Moments later, referee Danny Makkelie had to stop the game because a fireworks bomb was thrown onto the field. In Sittard it went wrong again: again fireworks were thrown on the field by Utrecht fans, where own player Anastasios Douvikas was even almost hit. Following the lead of colleague Makkelie, Allard Lindhout also decided to temporarily suspend the competition. Then when beer was thrown onto the field, he did it again.
Fortuna Sittard – FC Utrecht was temporarily shut down. From the branch, fireworks were thrown onto the field and towards the players who were warming up. FC Utrecht player Anastasios Douvikas was hit with fireworks from the FC Utrecht section. #forutr pic.twitter.com/rdQUTvavUH
— Soccer Ultras (@SoccerUltras) September 2, 2022
Utrecht states in the statement that a total of seven people were portrayed in the latter match, who are all registered for a stadium ban. The fireworks thrower in the duel with Ajax has been arrested and is being prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service, as well as three people who caused disturbances afterwards. Those who racially treated Brobbey receive a stadium ban in Utrecht and are also registered with the KNVB for a national stadium ban. In addition, four others will be punished.
“A list of which we are extremely ashamed”, general director Thijs van Es noted on the club website. “A FC Utrecht match, home and away, should be an outing for everyone and a place where everyone should feel welcome. That has not been the case in the past two games, for which we apologize to anyone who did not feel welcome or felt safe, including one of our players. The measure is full. A limit has been reached and crossed, we are fed up with this behavior. We want to and we will keep these assholes out, this has nothing to do with support.”
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