Last night there was a confrontation between supporters of Benfica and Feyenoord. A group of Portuguese gathered at the beginning of the evening around hotels and terraces where Feyenoorders were staying, armed with knives and baseball bats. Several people were reportedly injured, some of whom were so badly injured that they had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The hostilities took place a few minutes’ walk from the Estadio da Luz stadium, where Feyenoord will face Benfica SL in the Champions League tonight. Feyenoorders were eating and drinking on the terraces when they were stormed by Benfica supporters. Feyenoord club watcher Mikos Gouka was one of the eyewitnesses. In Algemeen Dagblad he describes the minutes leading up to the attack. “I was sitting quietly on the terrace having something to eat after the press conference. The weather is nice here and some old Feyenoorders had settled down and were just eating quietly. Then some young Feyenoorders came and I heard them say that Portuguese wanted to get down the stairs. I didn’t follow it very enthusiastically, but I did get the idea that there were some Benfica fans hanging around that hotel and watching for Feyenoorders. To hunt them, as it is called in supporter circles.”
Furniture by air
The club watcher himself had just left before the trouble started. “I went upstairs in time to watch the PSV match and then I heard a noise. So I look down from the fourth floor and see the furniture flying down the street and all the Portuguese attacking that terrace. It all flew through the air, with lots of glass clinking and stuff. I saw all these Portuguese people putting hoods over their heads and running with things in their hands.”
Gouka describes the total madness, with well-intentioned supporters being cornered. “After all these years, I naturally know many people, including Feyenoorders, who travel for fun. I see them on planes and going to a competition with their children, for example. How much fun is it when you’re sitting on a terrace and you’re attacked by a gang of buffalos? And that often produces a response, so I’m curious to see how things will go in the city tomorrow. When I tell that to my wife – and she recognizes those stories now – she never really understands why. That is of course a fair question. Especially if you don’t come from football, what happens is of course complete madness.”
Ueda’s timing
So the AD journalist himself escaped. “I’ve always had a pretty good feeling for that, when you have to leave at the right time instead of staying put. If Ueda’s timing at the first post tomorrow is as good as my timing down on the terrace, he will definitely score a goal.”
