“Guys, just drink that beer instead of throwing it,” says Ester Bal, press secretary of FC Den Bosch. On Friday, the matches of Helmond Sport against Top Oss and those of FC Den Bosch against MVV were stopped three times. Last season there was only one warning about an object on the field, after which the clubs and supporters could pack up. But that is now less strict.
When the score was 1-1 in the Vliert in the 67th minute, the cups flew onto the field from the Bossche M-side. Perpetrators were arrested, removed from the stadium and then the game was allowed to continue. Seven minutes later: hit again. MVV made it 1-2 and a sjeng (Maastricht resident, ed.) from the away section had no other way to express his joy than by throwing his beer on the field. So it would have been last season schluss are, but on Friday the residents of Den Bosch were allowed to continue playing football. In fact, even after the third beer shower, five minutes before the whistle, the pot was allowed to be finished.
“That could escalate.”
“The KNVB is no longer as aggressive as it was last year,” explains press chief Ester Bal of FC Den Bosch. The football association is now mainly concerned with tracking down the perpetrators, kicking them out of the stadium and then continuing the match in peace. “But that is also quite a task: to immediately remove someone from the stands. That can sometimes escalate,” says Bal.
Helmond Sport’s match against Top Oss was also allowed to be completed after three strikes, contrary to expectations. “That was a bit of a surprise,” admits Bas van Rossum, general manager of Top Oss. “We actually already had one foot outside the stadium, with three minutes of playing time left on the clock.” For those 180 seconds, the people of Ossen would have to go to Helmond again at a later time last season. But now it was decided to play the match in an empty stadium.
However, the more flexible approach does not mean that the clubs are no longer concerned about it. For example, an hour of extra time was added to the match in Helmond due to all the delays surrounding the cups on the field. “It mainly requires a lot of negative energy,” says Van Rossum. He calls it a hangover, without actually drinking beer. “It sometimes takes so long that the players have to warm up again. Otherwise you get injuries again,” adds Bal from FC Den Bosch.
“Should we accept that you get wet from beer during a match?”
And the solution? “Just drink that beer instead of throwing it,” says Bal. But the question is whether supporters listen to that. “Should we just hang up nets? Or accept that you will get wet from beer during a match, just like at a Rowwen Hèze concert?” Van Rossum is thinking about it out loud for a moment. “My daughter even suggested that supporters should drink their beer somewhere else.”
So the clubs have to wait and see until a eureka moment takes place within the KNVB. Until then, the course of both matches is the new protocol. Anyone who throws beer will be tracked down and thrown out of the stadium, while the rest of the supporters will have to have the patience of a saint. And that’s no longer the case after finishing twice, wailing and overtaking, but without a limit.
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