Fan action FC Twente - Ajax goes on !
Last Saturday afternoon November 20th organized and unorganized fans from all over The Netherlands have learnt the negotiation results between BOVS (the nationwide fan organization) and the Dutch FA. The result is considered too meager unanimously, so that the previously announced fan actions will be carried through. The action-readiness with fans of all clubs present (a.o. FC Utrecht, psv, feyenoord, FC Den Haag, NAC, FC Twente, Ajax including the OFA) is so high that extra actions will be held in February/March and May 2000. The score after two months of "negotiating" is as follows:
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Demand |
Result |
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1. |
Establishment of clear criteria on what is and what isn't a risky match. Only they are to become combi-trips, e.g. the away match against feyenoord should be one, those against AZ and Willem II shouldn't |
No structural resolution, this remains completely unclear. Incidentally combi-trips have been cancelled, like at RBC-NAC, De Graafschap - FC Twente and Willem II - FC Utrecht |
|
2. |
Return of the 10%-arrangement with a maximum of 3,000 tickets, to be realized by flexible sections in the stadiums.
At the Amstel Cup this should be derived from in positive sense |
Dutch FA on 29/11 will come with a proposition on this towards the clubs. Some concrete examples of this are that: Vitesse will go from 900 to 1600 RKC will go back from 1000 to 600 psv and feyenoord remain at 1600 tickets In short this looks more like a 5%-arrangement. |
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3. |
Price combis should come down |
Proposition lies with Dutch FA, is not on their agenda of the negotiations with the clubs |
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4. |
Forced talks with fans over mandatory combi or not, as agreed upon earlier (Stekelenburg Committee) |
Dutch FA will investigate practice |
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5. |
Demand come in later from side of DAS: Strike 6 month stadium ban from Dutch FA regulations upon ducking combi-arrangment. |
Hasn't been treated at all |
Aside from some small results little has been reached. On matters which still need to be investigated or discussed we are nothing short of sceptical. All but no reaction has come to countless letters from the BOVS. Thus only two of the 34 mayors addressed (Breda and rotterdam) reacted at all. With regard to the Euro 2000 tournament we think this is an incomprehensible laxity and lack of interest shown. In short, despite all effort by the BOVS again it has turned out that football fans are not being taken seriously and that the carrying out of actions seems the only means to get results
.The action at FC Twente - Ajax on Sunday December 12th 1999
We call upon fans to travel to Enschede by own means of transportation, at which we will ride in one big column. We will gather at cafe Van Dijk in front of the Olympic Stadium at 10.00 hrs. We leave at exactly 10.30 hrs in the direction of Enschede and will ride via the A1. At the first large parking lot after Hoevelaken (just before Barneveld) we will halt and Ajacoids from other regions can join the column. At 11.30 the drive will continue to the large parking lot just before Holten (ca 20 km after Deventer) where the final gathering place will be. From here we leave at 12.30 hrs for the final stretch towards Enschede. At the city limits the cars are parked, after which we walk towards the stadium as ONE group.
Also fans who normally travel by buses (line 12) we call upon with emphasis to be solidary with this unique action. All Ajax fans, with or without ticket, can participate.
We consciously made the choice to make the action plans public prematurely. This will give us the possibility to reach good agreements with all parties involved (from police to the FC Twente adherence) in order to organize the action perfectly. In the event that blunt police performance followed by stadium bans will be put in our perspective, then we reserve ourselves the right to change the action plans and to build in some elements of surprise. We emphasize that the action is to have a peaceful character and that each riot can immediately nullify the entire effect of the action!
If spectacular turns of events occur in the matter for example by really hard promises from the sides of the Dutch FA or the authorities, then that may mean that actions will be cancelled at the very last moment (for this follow our internet-site).
Editors fanzine The Ajax Star