Henry’s kitchen? It’s blue and white. Like her nails. And even the coffin in which her husband was laid out had the colors of FC Eindhoven. In short: the club is her everything. All the more painful that the superfan in heart and soul has been missing all matches for months now.
It’s all because of the transportation to the stadium. Because of her handicap, Henny is dependent on the Taxbus, a taxi service for people of age or with a physical disability. “Then I had to be ready hours in advance,” she says Studio 040. “Sometimes I arrived at four o’clock, while the game only started in the evening.”
And after the final whistle it was no different. “One time I wasn’t picked up until after midnight. I’ve been waiting there in the rain from a quarter to nine.”
“From now on I was only allowed to come when the gates open.”
Very annoying, but Henny liked to talk about it for her great love. Only at the club they thought otherwise. “A few months ago, the head of security came to me. He said that a number of people no longer wanted me to be in the stadium so early. From now on I was only allowed to come when the gates open.”
But that is impossible with the Taxbus. Much to Henry’s chagrin. “When I think about that, the tears come. It just doesn’t make me sleep. FC Eindhoven is everything to me.”
“We would like to welcome Henny back to the stadium.”
In desperation, she tried to email and call the director. But he didn’t have the golden solution either. FC Eindhoven has stated in a response that it regrets the situation. “Henny is sometimes there very early, and then needs help. While there are also competition preparations,” explains a supporters coordinator.
Still, there is a cautious glimmer of hope on the horizon. “We are now looking at solutions. Discussions are underway with Taxbus and we are looking at what a sponsor can do with a sponsor. We would like to welcome Henny back to the stadium.”
