FC Twente is through in Europe, but that is also the only positive thing. “It was just a k*tweek,” says fan Mathijs Nicolai, in a Swedish pub, after the draw against Hammarby IF. He wrote his thoughts off. “Our name has been disgraced by a bunch of miscreants.”
Mathijs Nicolai is season ticket holder of FC Twente. He traveled by train to Stockholm and was almost in Sweden for the game against Hammarby IF when the club decided not to issue tickets for the away section. He decided to make the best of it and watched the game in a pub, with other fans. This newspaper had contact with him several times during his stay. This is his reader’s letter.
‘After a number of very lean years, with the arrival of Jan Streuer and Ron Jans, a sun – watery at first and shining exuberantly in the past season – appeared on the Twente horizon. There was a recognizable team that played attractive football from time to time and the interaction with the supporters was of rare class.’
‘Off the field, fanatics gave the stadium a beautiful makeover and we are receiving national praise for the fantastic Twenteham sandwiches during the corona season. Fans could go back to the coffee machine on Monday to discuss the most important side issue in life.’
The ugly side
‘With the arrival of a new trainer, new faces in the selection and the prospect of up to three European diptychs in preparation, many supporters must have been eagerly awaiting the new season. The recent events in Enschede and Stockholm have shown the ugly side of football and made many supporters of the FC thunder of a pink cloud.
In the discourse on the social and traditional media, disgrace was spoken on all sides of the treatment of Swedish supporters in Enschede, the behavior of part of the Hammarby supporters and, in particular, the eruption of violence in the main stand after the final whistle in Enschede. It is now crystal clear that numerous parties have missed the mark and fortunately they also see this themselves. Time will tell what all those intentions for self-reflection and research yield.’
Mathijs Nicolai (far right) in the Swedish pub where he watched Hammarby IF – FC Twente with other fans. © Emiel Muijderman
Entertainment industry full of ugliness
‘With a little more distance to the events in Enschede, it must also be concluded that they are not isolated, but fit into a pattern in which football, as the largest entertainment industry in the Netherlands, seems unable to rid itself of its ugliness. Without wanting to put specific clubs in a bad light, I call the devastation in Nijmegen after the Gelderse Derby, homophobic chants towards Xavi Simons, fights in Volendam, the tsunami of violence and other misery in the Groningen Zuidtribune and the physical harassment of players by fans just a reminder of PSV and Heracles.’
‘For a small minority, football is a cover under which racism, homophobia, alcohol and drug abuse and violence are rampant. In the meantime, clubs, municipalities and security officials are unable to pick the bad apples out of the basket, also because the legal framework for this is missing. Time and time again this leads to collective punishments being used to respond to individual offenses. The good always suffer from the bad.’
The empty away section, during Hammarby IF – FC Twente. © Emiel Muijderman
“Even now, many are calling for the worst of all collective punishments: a total ban on away supporters. FC Twente’s decision not to allow away supporters to the Hammarby IF stadium is – however understandable it may be – a new low point in a long series of collective punishments.’
‘In addition, well-intentioned people in the Netherlands are also constantly restricted in their freedom by club card obligations and compulsory bus combinations, and they are treated in many sections as if they were TBS-ers who have an afternoon leave. Countless examples from abroad and in other sports show that things can be done differently, as long as the bad apples are dealt with adequately.’
Violence orgy
‘However, as a benevolent majority – I count myself among them – we also have a responsibility if we want more freedom. It is unacceptable that so-called fans in the name of our club have caused such an orgy of violence. Our name has been disgraced by this bunch of miscreants.’
“People who talk to this group by stating that the group of Sweden in the main stand very emphatically encouraged their own team and used a single obscene gesture are not worth a wink in my opinion and I would like to point out in a way statement by Michelle Obama: when they go low, we go high.’
Talk to them!
‘As well-intentioned people, we should distance ourselves as much as possible from these events and make our voices heard more emphatically in the future. Call people to account for misconduct, don’t sing along with inflammatory songs and answer every homophobic chorus with the only correct response: a lashing whistle concerto. Eventually the vocal minority will be drowned out by the normally somewhat quieter majority.’
‘If clubs, municipalities, security officials and the legislator also step up a gear, we will come to an end. If we do not do this, I fear that football in the stadiums will perish due to adverse selection: those with good intentions will turn their backs on the stadium and the percentage of bad apples will be correspondingly higher. As a result, social costs are also higher and a complete ban on away supporters is the only logical response, which will negatively affect the experience of spectators at home and in the stadium: home and away supporters contribute to the atmosphere that makes our football so unique.
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2023-08-05 08:57:28
#Twente #fan #writes #ktweek #Miscreants #disgrace
