“Shame on you!”, sang FC Utrecht’s supporters to their own players after a hopeless 2-0 home defeat against Ajax. Half an hour earlier, the club’s speaker had said “shame on you!” They called out to their own fans, who threw a firecracker bomb at goalkeeper Remko Pasveer, made jungle noises against striker Brian Brobbey and defender Daley treated Blind to a beer shower. It was an afternoon for FC Utrecht to be ashamed of in every way. With matches against Fortuna (away), Vitesse (home) and NEC (home) ahead, the weeks of truth have arrived for new trainer Henk Fraser early in the season.
It’s a lot like a repeating break. Just after FC Utrecht’s previous season had gone out of business with a gruesomely lost play-off against Vitesse, the club management again expressed new ambitions. After first trainer René Hake was put aside early, a cleaning of the selection followed this summer. Once again, technical director Jordy Zuidam was allowed to get started with the confidence of club owner Frans van Seumeren. Familiar players such as Willem Janssen, Adam Maher, Simon Gustafson, Joris van Overeem and Quinten Timber were bid farewell and ‘big names’ such as Bas Dost, Nick Viergever and Jens Toornstra were attracted with great fanfare. And again there was the hope of the fans. Could FC Utrecht really attack the top three? Neither Zuidam nor Van Seumeren wanted to NRC talking about it, interview requests were not honored.
Ambitions
A few years ago, Van Seu-meren still dared to say his ambitions out loud. The season has barely started and after four matchdays with two points it seems that FC Utrecht will not lay claim to third place behind Ajax and PSV. The proof of this was provided on Sunday afternoon in the Galgenwaard Stadium. In the past, matches between FC Utrecht and Ajax were often duels that stood alone. Matches in which FC Utrecht could sometimes rise above itself with passion and fighting spirit. This time none of that.
Although the club management tried to loosen something in the run-up to this home game. In the sold-out stadium there was rousing music and when the two teams walked onto the field, fireworks from the club itself exploded in front of the fanatical Bunnik Side. The photographers were asked in advance to take this into account and not yet take a seat behind the goal. This created an agitated atmosphere for a match in which all sorts of decency limits are almost traditionally crossed. Keeping two boxes empty next to the supporters who came with Ajax was the only visible precaution. But that’s not where the danger came from outside the lines.
Fraser’s team never seemed to seriously believe in a stunt against Ajax. After Steven Berghuis had given the visitors the lead after ten minutes via a striking header from a corner, resignation took over FC Utrecht. There was nothing left of the created atmosphere. The FC Utrecht players couldn’t make a fist in any way. The supporters of the club looked in horror at the impotent game of the home team. Ajax had total control over the game in a match that had been labeled as difficult by trainer Alfred Schreuder. The game was decided just before half-time by a header from Brobbey.
After Ajax’s second goal, a shameless display followed in which the hard core of FC Utrecht claimed the leading role. Brobbey was clearly taunted by part of the audience with jungle and monkey noises. Referee Danny Makkelie had the speaker warn the audience to stop with racist behaviour. Afterwards, various parties involved, including Brobbey, Schreuder and Utrecht defender Viergever, all said they had not heard the sounds. Schreuder only got it afterwards. “If it had been audible, we might have stopped”, said the Ajax coach afterwards at the press conference. “This is simply not appropriate. So disrespectful. Both teams have black players. We are all proud of that. The problem lies with Utrecht.”
Fireworks Bomb
Fifteen minutes after the break, nobody could have noticed that a bomb exploded next to goalkeeper Pasveer. The bang was even louder than with the ‘legal’ fireworks show beforehand. Makkelie stopped the game for three minutes. Pasveer argued that it is better to remain silent about such incidents. It was later announced that the perpetrator had been arrested. FC Utrecht announced that it would study images to see if more fans could be tackled. Less than two weeks ago, after FC Utrecht – SC Cambuur (0-0), riots also broke out. This is how FC Utrecht shamelessly started the season. It is a crisis in the Galgenwaard in all respects.