When PSV host Arsenal at home in the eighth round of the Champions League on Tuesday night, carnival is still in full swing. Around 1,600 Arsenal fans are expected in the city. The Eindhoven Carnival Foundation (SFEC) has made a video inviting the English to join the party.
Today we put aside all competition. We are neither rivals nor opponents. We embrace the party atmosphere side by side and make new friends along the way,” says the invitation video, addressed to Arsenal fans.
Unity
“From midday, the marquee on the market square will be open with a programme for Arsenal fans too. We will play a mix of well-known English music and typical Dutch carnival music. So they can enjoy the music they already know as well as the music we associate with the party,” says project manager Patrick van de Voort.
Van de Voort adds that all London fans at the Market Square will receive an exclusive ‘Lampegat meets Arsenal’ badge. “They can wear it proudly on their match shirts – or even carnival outfits if they have brought them along – to show their unity during the carnival”.
Complex
“The timing of the football match with the carnival makes the organisation much more complex, but it is a unique opportunity to introduce foreigners to the party,” says Van de Voort. He is referring to security and the good interaction between football fans and carnival revellers.
This is not the first time that Arsenal fans have come into contact with the Brabant carnival. In 2007, Arsenal had to play in Eindhoven during the city’s carnival celebrations. A special tent was set up on the Stadhuisplein as the ‘Arsenalplein’ and the fans were given special carnival shirts.
Safety and security
The city council has already announced that if it had its way, the match would be played a day later, immediately after the carnival. Extra officers from other parts of the country will be deployed on Tuesday to maintain security. The SFEC is also involved in this organisation to make sure that the combination of football and carnival goes as smoothly as possible.
See below for a video from the Eindhoven Carnival Federation Foundation:
