Supporters of NEC have spoken out against the arrival of Wilfried Bony. The striker is in the interest of the people of Nijmegen and can demonstrate his fitness on the training field in the coming days. If it is up to the fans, however, it will not come to a transfer, as has become clear from photos of banners that have been hung at the Goffert Stadium. Bony has a history with arch-rival Vitesse, where he was very successful between 2011 and 2013.
“Yesterday we read through various media that NEC would be working on a new striker, Wilfried Bony. Very disturbing! Anyone with a bit of feeling for the club knows what this is about”, can be read on the website of supporters association Legio Noviomagum. “Where are the so-called culture guards within our BVO? Is there no one who understands? We will NEVER accept Bony in the holy red green black. Seek refuge with that other Gelderse Eredivisie club, but not with us!” fans at Vitesse.
Not everyone at NEC sees a possible arrival of Wilfried Bony. Atmosphere group Legio Noviomagum and the fanatical East Side/HKN are making themselves heard and Bony’s Vitesse past has not yet been forgotten. #necnijmegen pic.twitter.com/8nuzZmXRou
— Sander Janssen (@SanderJanssen95) January 25, 2022
The statement is a joint writing of Legio Noviomagum, HKN/East-Side, Nijmegen Fanatics and Bloedkuul Casuals. Banners have been hung at the Goffert Stadium with the text ‘Bony NEVER in our tricolor’ and ‘W.BONiet Welkom’. “Back to the facts. When ‘child of the club’ Navarone F. left us, everyone was justifiably disgusted by his action. We are also disgusted by the idea of Wilfried Bony in our holy tricolor. The same Wilfried Bony who supposedly slit our throats when celebrating a goal in the derby. And yes, that Wilfried Bony also made it clear last October that, in the run-up to the derby, he is a speedster.”
Bony came into contact with NEC thanks to technical director Ted van Leeuwen and advisor Fred Rutten, who know the Ivorian from their time at Vitesse. The arrival of Bony to Arnhem in 2011 turned out to be a bull’s eye. The centre-forward produced 58 goals and 18 assists in 77 official games and earned a top transfer to Swansea City. The amount of sixteen million euros that Bony reportedly earned is still a club record for Vitesse. In the coming days, he can prove himself at NEC. “A player who has profiled himself in this way in the past will not receive any support from us. We cannot identify with players like this in our shirt,” write the NEC fans.