Dutch league game plan riles fans of Feyenoord

THE HAGUE: A decision by the Dutch football federation to postpone all premier league games ahead of Ajax’s Champions League clash against Tottenham was criticised as having “broad and far-reaching consequences.”

The Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) announced the postponement on Friday, saying the gap between a local Eredivisie game and the game against Spurs did not give Ajax players enough time to recover.

“But what was supposed to ease things in actual fact has led to widespread discontent,” popular daily tabloid De Telegraaf reported.

“The small tweak of the game schedule will have broad and far-reaching consequences, particularly for Feyenoord,” the paper said.

Dutch football great and Feyenoord forward Robin van Persie will now play his farewell game away against 14th-placed Fortuna Sittard.

This means that Feyenoord will have to be content with saying goodbye to Van Persie at Sittard’s 12,500-capacity stadium in southern Limburg, as opposed to its home ground at De Kuip in Rotterdam. De Kuip is one of Dutch football’s most iconic stadiums and seats 51,000 fans.

It is also the last game for Feyenoord manager and former Dutch international and skipper Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the paper said.

“Van Persie had an incredible career. Gio is one of the most successful managers ever,” Feyenoord fan Sander de Kramer told the paper.

“Now they’ll be in Sittard, waving at a small group of travelling supporters. It’s a bit different that standing in a packed De Kuip,” Kramer said.

“And that’s painful,” he said.