Feyenoord vs Ajax match called off due to police protest

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Abtaleb cancelled Sunday’s match between Feyenoord and Rotterdam at the Kuip Stadium due to a planned police strike. The mayor said on Tuesday afternoon that the decision was unanimous by the city council.

“The presence of police officers cannot guarantee the safety of the players and the public,” he said.

Police said Monday they would not attend the match between the two arch-rivals as part of an early retirement plan.

This season’s Dutch league games in Breda, Enschede, Almere and Groningen have been played without police escorts due to a boycott by the police union.

But the clash between Feyenoord and Ajax is seen as a high-risk event due to recent clashes between fans of both sides. The match will only feature Feyenoord fans as away fans have been banned from games between the two clubs for many years.

The Dutch Football Association said in a statement that Feyenoord’s match against Ajax may have to be played on a weekday, which is “not ideal” for fans of the national derby, police and local authorities.

The Dutch Football Association said its options were limited. If the police’s early retirement campaign continued to disrupt matches, the backlog could lead to matches not being completed. “In this case, football and all fans, that is, around 10 million Dutch people, would suffer unfairly and heavily from the police’s early retirement campaign,” the association said.

The club itself is responsible for the security of the venue.

The police union said they were not surprised by the move but that they would continue their activities as planned. “Our actions are not only aimed at football matches,” spokesman Maarten Brink said. “In the future, they will also affect other events and demonstrations.”

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