Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 6:07 PM• Dominic Mostert

The Feyenoord supporters who are responsible for the departure of general director Mark Koevermans must be dealt with firmly, says Ferd Grapperhaus. The outgoing Minister of Justice and Security announces additional measures. “This is ridiculous behavior from a bunch of bastards,” Grapperhaus told RTL News.

“It cannot happen that you just do your job and that you are confronted in such a way with criminals who threaten you because you have to do what they think. There is no excuse or reason for that,” the minister responds. He calls the behavior of the small part of Feyenoord’s supporters ‘really over the line’. “We are going to really invest heavily on this. I can’t anticipate that yet, but we are going to talk to the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the football world to ensure a solid approach.”

Koevermans’ house was defaced with graffiti in September, while stones were also thrown through the windows of the front door. The tag RJK (Rotterdam Youth Kern) was left on Koevermans’ house, which made it clear from which corner the action comes. The director of Feyenoord filed a report, the Rotterdam police confirmed. It was not the first time that Koevermans was harassed at home. In June he also received a ‘visit’ from disgruntled supporters of the club. The incidents seemed related to the anger over the plans to build a new stadium for Feyenoord.

Feyenoord reported on Wednesday morning that Koevermans “after a series of incidents no longer has the feeling that he can function properly and make decisions, without wondering whether this will have an impact on the security situation of him and his family.” “Feyenoord has been in my heart since childhood,” Koevermans said on the Feyenoord website. “When I was appointed, I indicated without exaggeration that working for Feyenoord was a childhood dream come true for me. Today is not a good day for me. It hurts to have had to make this decision, but I think that this is for the best despite the knowledge that I will miss the club, the colleagues and many people in the immediate vicinity of the club.”