More than 250 messages with cancer curses were sent to Etienne Vaessen via Instagram. Reason for the RKC goalkeeper to post a few messages on his own page. He’s done swearing at cancer. “It just has to go away.”
Etienne Vaessen did not know what he was experiencing on Sunday evening after the away match against Ajax. He received hundreds of messages with cancer in it via Instagram. “At a certain point I stopped opening and reading everything. Every message said I should get cancer or used this disease as an adjective. Really bizarre.”
The Breda keeper knows, of course, that he can sometimes be annoying in the field, but cursing with cancer is going too far. “I can be really annoying in the field. People can therefore call me for everything. Just call me asshole or asshole, but just leave out that K-word.”
“Everything around Ralf touched me emotionally.”
It hits the RKC goalie mainly because one of his friends and fellow football player Ralf Seuntjens has just recovered from this illness. “Maybe that’s why I posted that message on Instagram yesterday. Everything around Ralf touched me emotionally.”
After his post on Instagram, he received many reactions from other football players. “Sergio Padt had experienced exactly the same thing after a match against Ajax. He also received all kinds of cancer wishes. And that’s how I got more examples from colleagues.”
“It’s just a game, isn’t it.”
“It’s just a game, isn’t it”, Vaessen continues his argument. “Emotion is also part of it. Against PSV I also had a fight with Xavi Simons in the last minute. Then afterwards I also get messages with weirdos. I think that’s all fine, I even have to laugh at that. But what happened last night really goes too far.”
He hopes that his message will make people look in the mirror. “It just has to go away. I’m afraid it will be difficult and I don’t know a concrete solution either. But hopefully I can contribute by posting this.”
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