Sjoerd Mossou was anything but able to enjoy the cup final between Feyenoord and NEC on Sunday evening. The reporter Algemeen Dagblad After the frustrating final battle between Ajax and PSV last year, we hoped for an edition that would mainly be about football, but nothing could be further from the truth. The meeting between Feyenoord and NEC had to be stopped in both the first and second half and, according to Mossou, this is mainly due to a ‘subculture of football supporters who desperately want to be seen’.
“Last year the cup final was not worth watching due to the bloody irritating behavior of the players on the field, but on Sunday Feyenoord – NEC was never a compelling final because the match was stopped at every turn. Thanks to a subculture of football supporters desperate to be seen,” Mossou writes in the AD. The meeting between Feyenoord and NEC got off to a promising start. The Rotterdam team were the big favorites for the overall victory, but the team of coach Rogier Meijer certainly did not hide. It made it impossible for Feyenoord to play football and was even close to an early 0-1 thanks to a header from Youri Baas.
Article continues below video
“NEC was the better team in the opening phase, when a group of Nijmegen supporters decided to ignite a huge fireworks package behind the goal, complete with torches, fireworks and flares,” said Mossou, who speaks of an ‘ironic’ effect. “The group promptly paralyzed the game of their own team.” Referee Serdar Gözübüyük was forced to temporarily stop the game and that did not suit Feyenoord all that badly. Arne Slot took the opportunity to make some conversions. “The home team restored the balance, while at NEC the momentum was gone for a while.”
After a short interruption, football could be played again, but things also went wrong in the second half. Gözübüÿuk sent both teams back inside soon after the restart because a fire had started in the moat in front of the section with Feyenoord supporters. “An incident that also clearly exposed the danger of fireworks in stadiums. These were typical examples of what is also called ultra or tifo culture, a subculture among football supporters that largely revolves around being seen, about attention, about likes on social media too. It is not so much driving one’s own team forward that is central, but self-profiling and attention-grabbing,” Mossou writes.
That doesn’t just have ugly sides, says Mossou. “Before the match, both groups of supporters had made beautiful banners, and the atmosphere in De Kuip was excellent most of the time. Tens of thousands of fans of both clubs made it a thrilling day, early in the afternoon, with groups of supporters who moved around each other quite carefree beforehand,” the reporter saw. “But the mess with fireworks definitely slowed the pace of the final, and also irritated the vast majority of well-intentioned football fans. A handful of injuries did the rest: Feyenoord – NEC never became a match with eternal value.”
And that was also the case last year. The cup final between Ajax and PSV was perhaps thrilling, with extra time and a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. But the players of both teams behaved in such an unsportsmanlike manner that it had little to do with football. Mossou has one wish for the next edition of the cup final. “After last year’s cringe-worthy edition between Ajax and PSV, when the totally excited players on the field spoiled the match, it would be nice if the next final was primarily about football again.”
➡️ You may also find this article interesting
🔗 Bram Nuytinck was missing during NEC party: ‘The doctor said: Bram, go home’
Bram Nuytinck was the big missing name during the hero’s welcome at De Goffert in Nijmegen after the victory of NEC on speed.
