If it is up to mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, Ajax supporters will not return to De Kuip, the mayor has informed RTV Rijnmond. Liveable Rotterdam wanted the away supporter ban to be looked at again, but received no response from the Rotterdam mayor. “It is too unsafe and you are putting enormous costs on the city.”
Ajax supporters have not been welcome at the Classic in Rotterdam for fourteen years. That decision was taken after serious riots around De Kuip. The measure was extended a few years ago and if it is up to Aboutaleb, the ban will last for a long time. “Huge security measures would be needed and there is a huge security risk. A wall of three sea containers would have to be high around De Kuip and we would have to deploy a thousand police officers. That costs a lot of money. Moreover, the police do not want it.”
Earlier this season, according to the Rotterdam mayor, it became painfully clear why admitting Ajax fans to the Classic would not be a good idea at all. “Let’s not drive each other crazy. We saw at the last Classic that there were three thousand supporters on the dike waiting for the anonymous Ajax players’ bus. Because there were no Ajax supporters, they went to fight with the ME.”
The only way Aboutaleb would consider allowing away supporters in Rotterdam is if it can be guaranteed that everything will proceed normally and safely. “Completely fencing the stadium with three-metre high fences to allow Ajax players and supporters to enter safely: I’m not going to start on that. If there is a plan, I am willing to talk about under what circumstances it is possible to conduct a trial with the gradual admission of away supporters.”
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