Valentijn Driessen warns professional football clubs about ‘Mark Rutte’s wrath’. For the time being, the stadiums may only be two-thirds full during matches. The cabinet wants to allow full stadiums in professional football from 20 September, provided that the corona infections remain manageable and the vaccination rate continues to rise. In Driessen’s view, however, the clubs are ‘hard working on throwing in their own glasses’.
“One or two more Eredivisie weekends like last Saturday and Sunday and the 67% occupancy of the grandstand seats with corona tickets will be reversed,” emphasizes the football chief of The Telegraph Friday in his column. The journalist understands the criticism and frustration from the events sector and entertainment industry following some images that circulated this month. “As well as the feeling that there is a double standard. Everything is possible in a stadium, visitors go wild and they can or are hardly allowed to organize anything. Sometimes not even open yet.”
Driessen thinks that outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte will not shy away from ‘intervening hard’ if public support under the stadium visit disappears. “Like a year ago. “Just shut up,” he snapped at the football fans as they cheered, screamed and chanted against the rules. Moments later, all stadiums were evacuated for months.” The journalist argues that clubs are found to be negligent and seriously failing ‘in acting in the spirit of the rules’.
Driessen states that clubs should be happy with the second third occupation and the privileges compared to other entertainment. He points out that not everyone stays put. “Especially where the hard core of supporters is, everyone is packed, partying, hopping and drinking. Although a seat is required, there was hardly a stadium speaker to be found who, on the authority of the club management, asked the standing fans to sit down. As it should be according to the rules.”
In Driessen’s view, clubs do not even attempt to take one and a half meters into account. “Instead of pushing the limits, professional clubs should count their blessings after a season without fans. Therefore, rather take the call from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to heart and take responsibility with regard to the seating obligation and the spreading of fans. Negligence can cost professional football dearly.”
Professional clubs are allowed to fill two-thirds of the stadium capacity with supporters but often leave entire spaces empty, while other spaces are completely full. “Of course it is wise for the clubs to spread their audience a bit over the stadiums. It seems to me that if you close a part of the stadium, the capacity of the stadium also decreases,” Rutte said earlier this month. Driessen describes the outgoing prime minister as “someone who, in a hot temper as a non-football supporter, is given the current preferential treatment.” can just turn the neck’.
“More enforcement together with the municipalities is therefore something that professional clubs must tackle quickly. Not to invoke Rutte’s wrath on you and to get the green light from September 19 for one hundred percent occupancy and thus return to the old normal. Don’t let PSV-Feyenoord be a mirage on that day in a full Philips Stadium,” emphasizes the daily newspaper’s football chief.
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