Valentijn Driessen Calls for Ban on Away Supporters After Fireworks Chaos

Valentijn Driessen has launched a blistering attack on the Feyenoord fans who turned SC Cambuur’s stadium into a firework zone on Sunday, calling for an outright ban on away supporters in Dutch football.

The match in Leeuwarden had barely settled when chaos erupted. After just 12 minutes, referee and officials halted play as heavy fireworks were ignited in the away section in the South Stand. What initially looked like yet another flare incident quickly escalated into something far more serious.

Cambuur later revealed the full extent of the damage. In an official statement, the club confirmed that five supporters were injured and “are not doing well”, suffering from burns, hearing damage and eye injuries. The club stressed that all attention is now on those affected and expressed deep sympathy for the victims.

The fireworks were not only set off in the away end; according to Cambuur, some were fired towards the pitch and into neighbouring stands. It was not just noise and smoke. It was danger.

For Driessen, football editor at De Telegraaf, the line has been crossed. Again.

“They are simply criminals, of course,” he said of the Feyenoord fans responsible. “It was an organised action. I happened to have contact with someone, and he said it was for fun. If this is what you get your pleasure from, you’re not right in the head.”

Driessen has long argued that Dutch football must get tougher on travelling support, and Sunday’s scenes only hardened his stance.

“I argue for it every time: stop with away supporters. Then you get rid of a whole lot of trouble,” he insisted. He pointed to Feyenoord v Ajax being played on a Saturday evening as an example of what he sees as progress. “And that is possible, because there are no Ajax supporters. Lovely, isn’t it?”

One question in particular leaves him stunned: how did such a large quantity of fireworks and flares make it into the Cambuur stadium in the first place?

The away section was crammed. Searches clearly failed to keep the pyrotechnics out. “If you then clear the place out, you might be bringing all sorts of misery on yourself. The mayor will naturally have taken that into consideration. Because it would have been very normal to clear out that section,” Driessen said, hinting at the difficult balance between safety, escalation and public order.

Attention now also turns to Feyenoord’s own responsibilities. For Driessen, the club cannot simply point at “a few idiots” and move on.

“I think Feyenoord really need to look carefully at who was there,” he argued. “Normally speaking that is not a problem, because you have gold club card holders or something like that. This away end was absolutely packed. So I think a great many slipped through the net. Those were the troublemakers responsible for those horrific scenes.”

The KNVB will come under renewed pressure to respond with more than fines and partial stand closures. With injured supporters, serious safety breaches and a leading voice in the Dutch media calling for a blanket ban on away fans, the question now is unavoidable: how many more nights like Leeuwarden can Dutch football afford?