Mayor Weterings of Tilburg has expressed regret on Monday afternoon for the events on Thursday evening with the supporters of Willem II on the Olympiaplein in Tilburg. Weterings will be put to the test by the city council on Monday afternoon about the partying fans. He apologized right at the start of the debate. “I want to regain confidence”.
According to Weterings, he has disappointed boas, police and healthcare personnel by allowing Willem II fans to watch the match with at least 800 people on Olympiaplein. Weterings: “It had the unintended effect that they feel abandoned. I have regularly expressed my support for them. I know better than anyone how much they have done their best. I regret that I disappointed them. ”
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Public order over corona rules
The mayor outlined that he placed the maintenance of public order and safety above complying with the corona rules. He regrets that, he let the city council know. “I certainly should have weighed the enforcement of the corona rules just as heavily as public order.” In order to resolve this in the future, the director of public care of the municipality of Tilburg will from now on participate in the consultation of the triangle.
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Fan-zone
On Thursday evening things went wrong on the Olympiaplein in Tilburg. There, a fan zone was set up for supporters who wanted to follow the match between Willem II against Rangers FC on a big screen. The municipality had issued a permit for this.
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About 500 fans gathered in the square, standing too close together, cheering and singing. This caused a flood of criticism.
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According to Weterings, he gave the supporters their own place on Thursday to prevent situations such as September 16. Then he saw that people were singing shoulder to shoulder in Luxembourg. In the meantime, supporters celebrated the victory at café de Kok in Tilburg. That cafe then had to be closed. According to Weterings, supporters from Antwerp and Scotland were also expected last Thursday. Therefore, public order came first and compliance with corona rules lagged. The mayor now regrets that.
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The meeting can be followed via the livestream below:
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