Feyenoord Transfer Controversy: Criticism of Rigaux and Eenhoorn

Feyenoord’s summer transfer window has sparked a storm of criticism, with club bosses Dévy Rigaux and Robert Eenhoorn under heavy fire from Dutch journalists Mike Verweij and Valentijn Driessen.

On the De Telegraaf podcast Kick-Off, the pair tore into the way Feyenoord handled major outgoing deals and the broader financial strategy behind them.

“They should simply have done their job”

Verweij pointed straight at Rigaux, accusing the technical director of failing to capitalise on a series of lucrative offers while taking aim at his predecessor Dennis te Kloese.

“Rigaux has taken a huge swipe at his predecessor Te Kloese,” Verweij said as the conversation turned to Feyenoord. “But now it turns out that Te Kloese, with the money for Hadj Moussa included, had 40 million.”

According to Verweij, Feyenoord had serious bids on the table that were not exploited properly. “There was a bid of 25 million for Ueda, who was sold far too cheaply to Lille OSC. And Read could almost have risen to 35 million. And Hull City bid 20 million for Targhalline.”

In his view, that is where Feyenoord’s leadership failed.

“If they had simply done their job and sold the right players, Feyenoord would for the time being have had a great deal of financial resources,” he argued. “That same Te Kloese put together a squad there that was worth around €120 million. So I think Rigaux and Eenhoorn did something wrong in this transfer window. If they had sold Read immediately, they could have been much more effective in the transfer market.”

The message was clear: Feyenoord left money on the table, and with it, the chance to strengthen properly.

The power of Friends of Feyenoord

Driessen then zoomed out from individual transfers to the club’s ownership structure, pointing the finger at Friends of Feyenoord, the powerful investors’ group that holds a major stake in the club.

“It all comes back to the Friends of Feyenoord again,” he said. “They have 49 per cent of the shares. And the moment Feyenoord pay €17.5 million, they lose 25 per cent. And in two years’ time, again.”

According to Driessen, that financial construction shapes every transfer decision.

“Feyenoord are also obliged to buy part of the shares if they post a positive transfer balance in a transfer window. And they certainly would have done that if one of those transfers had gone through. Then that transfer balance would have been so high that they would have been obliged to buy part of the Friends’ purchases.”

So, in his reading, big sales do not just mean cash for the squad. They also trigger obligations towards Friends of Feyenoord. That, he suggests, makes the group’s influence decisive.

Eenhoorn under fire over Hadj Moussa saga

Driessen did not stop at structural criticism. He went straight for Eenhoorn, claiming the director allowed himself to be guided by the interests of Friends of Feyenoord during the collapsed transfer of Hadj Moussa to Al-Ittihad.

“But the Friends of Feyenoord do not want out,” he claimed. “And Eenhoorn came in at the request of the Friends. He is their favourite, and became director. So he is not going to go against those Friends. Eenhoorn allowed himself to be influenced into not letting the Hadj Moussa transfer go through.”

The official explanation for the failed move centred on a rejected bank guarantee. Driessen dismissed that outright.

“For Driessen, a rejected bank guarantee is not the reason Hadj Moussa is not now an Al-Ittihad player. It concerns a €40 million transfer. It concerns Saudi Arabia, just ask Ajax. They have always had the money and are solvent.”

In his eyes, the story runs much deeper than paperwork.

“Hardly reachable by phone”

Driessen painted a picture of a club that dragged its feet until the deal simply could not be completed.

“Feyenoord were also hardly reachable by phone, it was very difficult to get in touch with them,” he said. “It was dragged out for a very long time, and in the end the medical could no longer take place.”

He then delivered his harshest line, calling Eenhoorn “simply an extension of the Friends of Feyenoord.”

“He is their mate. The moment someone puts you forward and you can serve their interests, that happens nine times out of 10. He has previously made it known that he is not exactly eager to buy out the Friends. And then you remain stuck with those Friends.”

The accusation is blunt: sporting decisions at Feyenoord, including a €40 million transfer, are being bent around the wishes of an investor group that does not want to loosen its grip. The next transfer window will show whether the club’s leadership can, or even wants to, prove that charge wrong.