News Release: Feyenoord vs. Ajax Klassieker Match Rescheduled Due to Police Strike
Rotterdam, Netherlands – The highly anticipated Klassieker match between AFC Ajax and Feyenoord, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been moved to Wednesday, October 30, due to a planned police strike. The rescheduled match will kick off at 6 p.m. in Feyenoord’s iconic stadium, De Kuip.
The decision to reschedule was made by the professional football competition board, which includes Marianne van Leeuwen (KNVB), Jan de Jong (Eredivisie CV), and Marc Boele (Keuken Kampioen Divisie). The board consulted with the municipality of Rotterdam, led by Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, who cited safety concerns due to the police strike as the reason for banning the match.
Mayor Aboutaleb stated that the planned strike for an early retirement scheme makes it impossible to guarantee the safety of players and the public around the stadium. The decision was made in the interest of public safety, as hundreds of police officers are typically required to maintain order during the high-stakes encounter between the two rivals.
The rescheduling was a challenge due to the busy match day calendar of Dutch professional football. The KNVB noted in a press release that the new date was chosen to ensure that both clubs have at least two days of complete rest between matches. Feyenoord is scheduled to play in the Champions League on Tuesday or Wednesday, while Ajax has a Europa League match on Thursday. Ajax will also face PSV at home three days after the away match in De Kuip, and Feyenoord has a match against AZ on the same day.
The police have previously campaigned for improved early retirement benefits during four matches in the Eredivisie, which were allowed to proceed despite the protests. The Klassieker, however, is a match that typically requires a significant police presence due to its intense and often confrontational nature.
The KNVB, Eredivisie CV, and Keuken Kampioen Divisie have expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation, noting that football is once again being used as a pawn in the ongoing dispute. Football is not a party to this, but now these actions focus on football. Football is used as a means, which says a lot about its impact. But of course, that is not what football is meant for, they stated.
Both Feyenoord and Ajax had preferred to play their match on Sunday, but the safety concerns outweighed the desire to maintain the original schedule. The rescheduled match is expected to draw a sell-out crowd and will be a key fixture in the Eredivisie season.
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