Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 5:14 PM• Dominic Mostert

The KNVB has imposed a national stadium ban on four MVV Maastricht supporters for twenty years. The foursome insulted FC Dordrecht defender Seydine N’Diaye in a racist manner during the away game on February 25. MVV already handed out two stadium bans to two men after the incident, but the KNVB is now extending those stadium bans to the entire country and punishing two extra people.

A stadium ban of twenty years is the maximum penalty that the association can hand out. The role of a fifth fan is currently under investigation. The prosecutor believes that MVV itself cannot be blamed. The club would take all necessary measures to counteract the misbehavior of some of its own supporters and clearly distanced itself from the misconduct after the game. MVV entered into talks with its own supporters’ association to prevent a repeat.

N’Diaye reported in the extra time to the arbitration that he was being treated racist from the branch. He pointed to some fans who were standing behind the boarding. The match in the Kitchen Champion Division was stopped moments later, after which N’Diaye left the field emotionally. After the interruption, the players returned to the field without N’Diaye to make a kneeling gesture against racism, after which referee Richard Martens whistled before the end of the game.

N’Diaye reported racism to the police, so the case could also have criminal consequences for the supporters involved. At the beginning of 2020, the KNVB, together with the government, drew up the plan of attack ‘our football belongs to everyone’ in an attempt to combat racism and discrimination. The maximum stadium ban was increased from five to ten years; if a footballer is the victim, that maximum sentence can be doubled to 20 years, as has happened now.

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