PEC Zwolle explicitly says to distance itself from the behavior of a group of fans after Friday’s away game against FC Eindhoven. About forty supporters of PEC Zwolle pelted the police with stones and street furniture. They also assaulted young people who were playing football on a nearby hockey field. At least one of them suffered facial injuries.
On Saturday, the club called the police’s reaction exaggerated and the media also had to believe it: “The picture that is now being painted is very one-sided,” a spokesman said at the time. The hooligans would also have been challenged by Eindhoven fans.
To reflection
Now the club seems to have come to its senses. “This behavior is completely unacceptable to us and clear measures will follow,” the leader from the Kitchen Champion Division reports on the website. PEC Zwolle says it does not yet know all the facts. After the Easter weekend, the club will receive more information from the police.
“When we have all the facts on the table, we will come up with a more detailed response and eventually also provide more information about how we as a club deal with this and what measures are being taken.”
frustration
The club also believes that the behavior of the hooligans is frustrating the “vast majority of our supporters, who support the club fantastically week in and week out.” This reflects very negatively on everyone who belongs to the club and loves the club,” says PEC Zwolle.
The leader from Overijssel lost 4-2 in Eindhoven and had to postpone the promotion party for a while. It was already restless in the stadium during the game. Fights broke out in the field.
One arrest
To restore calm after the game, the police had to disperse the rioters with batons. Police reported that only one arrest was made as the focus was on restoring order. An investigation has been launched to track down other rioters.
A mother told on Saturday how a group of children were playing football in a square, when ten to fifteen PEC supporters in balaclavas came running towards them. “They started hitting the kids out of the blue. The boys play football here almost every night, but I’ve never experienced this before.”
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