No away match in Amsterdam. Some PSV supporters are surprised by the club’s decision not to bring any supporters to Johan Cruijff Arena in early November. PSV is afraid of unacceptable chants directed at Ajax fans and is therefore leaving its own supporters at home as a precaution. The supporters’ association understands. “We may well ask ourselves: what are we actually singing?”
The fact that the punishment is imposed collectively is a thorn in the side of many supporters. “I am against collective punishment anyway, they have to get rid of the bad apples.” This is said by a fan, who wants to remain anonymous, “to prevent trouble”. According to him, the club does not dare to do that, because “they are afraid that those kinds of people will show up at their door”.
“In a time when everything can be recorded on camera and by microphones and the guilty can be picked out like that, they choose a policy that affects the vast majority of well-meaning loyal supporters, while they did nothing”, another PSV supporter says on X.
Supporters association
On social media supporters also react angrily to the fact that their own supporters association has agreed to the club’s decision. “A supporters association that agrees to a ban on away fans to prevent a future ban… do you still understand?”, one fan asks.
According to Rob Bogaarts, chairman of the PSV supporters association, non-collective punishment is not that easy. “Try to catch half of a seating area. I have also stood in between them while things were sung that I do not feel comfortable with”.
The chants towards the Ajax crowd are the reason why PSV is not allowing any fans to Amsterdam at the moment. “Mind you: the alternative can be years of banishment from Amsterdam and then we really will have a problem. Then we can blame Amsterdam, now it is raining down on PSV”, Bogaarts says. According to the chairman of the supporters’ association, the association was informed of the decision by PSV. “No, we had no say in that, but we do support it”.
Chants
“Everyone knows that Ajax uses ‘Jews’ as a nickname, but chants by away supporters with the word Jews in them regularly go too far. That simply crosses a line”. Yes, of course the Ajax crowd also shouts things and according to the chairman, something needs to be done about that too. “I also don’t think ‘all farmers are gay’ is right, but we need to look at ourselves first”.
PSV and the supporters’ association therefore want to focus on awareness. “Because what are we actually singing? Healthy rivalry with Ajax is fine, but the hatred and the things that are being sung, that’s what we need to talk about”.
The ultimate goal should be to be able to ‘just go to Amsterdam’ again. As things stand now, that may not be possible until season 25/26. Bogaarts: “There’s nothing better than supporting your club with all the fans together”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
