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Mayor Sets a Deadline Ahead of September 5 Fixture
Bruls made clear that time is running short. He said that if investigators cannot confirm by early next week whether the guilty parties have been identified, Feyenoord fans will simply have to watch the NEC match from home instead of travelling to Nijmegen. The game is set for Saturday, September 5, and marks Feyenoord's next fixture away from Rotterdam.
The mayor argued that letting the situation slide would send the wrong message entirely. He pointed out that if nobody faces consequences, the very people responsible for the unrest could walk into the stadium again in just two weeks, as though nothing happened. To him, that outcome would be indefensible. He posed a simple question: how does anyone justify that kind of behaviour to a nine-year-old child, explaining that someone can act this way and still show up like normal?
The incident took place during Sunday's away match at SC Cambuur, where Feyenoord supporters set off fireworks directed at fans of the Leeuwarden-based club. Seven people were hurt in the process, suffering burns, eye damage, and hearing problems. Police confirmed on Tuesday that no arrests had been made so far, though officers are working to identify those responsible using video footage from the scene.
Justice Minister Calls for Tighter Stadium Security
Bruls said he still hopes the culprits will eventually be tracked down, calling that the ideal resolution. But he stressed that catching individuals isn't enough on its own. According to him, a broader, more unified strategy is needed to tackle the sheer volume of fireworks being smuggled into matches. He noted that the priority remains identifying the offenders, but if that fails, authorities need to be willing to say clearly that repeat behaviour means exclusion from future games.
Justice Minister David van Weel, who also joined the broadcast, echoed similar concerns. He argued that entry checks at stadiums need great improvement, especially given the scale of fireworks being brought in and ignited during matches. Describing the footage from Sunday's game, he remarked that what's being set off resembles something closer to a small arsenal rather than ordinary fireworks.
Van Weel mentioned he received a fresh report on Monday examining how football-related fireworks incidents have been handled. The findings revealed that almost no real progress has been made on this issue since 2018. He confirmed he will sit down with the KNVB again in two weeks, expressing hope that the meeting will produce fresh, practical solutions to finally put an end to these incidents.
